By Gloria Drealomalicha
Biafra agitator Ralph Uwazuruike has accused fellow separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu of continuing to recruit Igbo youths into violent activities while in detention, alleging that the actions have contributed to the deaths of many young people in the South-East.
Uwazuruike, founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), made the allegations in a video shared on YouTube, where he appealed to Igbo elders and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to visit Kanu in detention and urge him to stop what he described as the mobilisation of youths for violent activities.
Kanu, who leads the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), remains in the custody of the Federal Government while facing legal proceedings. Uwazuruike argued that rather than allegedly encouraging confrontation, Kanu should allow peace to prevail.
“I hate violence, and anyone who knows me will agree that I do not have anything to do with violence. How can someone who has been sentenced to prison remain there and still be recruiting our youths for violence?” Uwazuruike said.
Expressing concern over the impact of insecurity on young people, the MASSOB leader claimed that many Igbo youths had lost their lives after becoming involved in violent activities allegedly linked to the separatist struggle.
He also advocated amnesty and rehabilitation for IPOB members willing to renounce violence, arguing that they should be treated in the same manner as former insurgents and bandits who have benefited from government deradicalisation and reintegration programmes in northern Nigeria.
Uwazuruike’s remarks come amid the circulation of videos on social media purportedly showing masked, armed men identifying themselves as IPOB members and supporters of Kanu. In the videos, the individuals allegedly threatened renewed violence in the South-East if the IPOB leader is not released. The authenticity of the videos has not been independently verified.
He further referred to Kanu’s recent reorganisation of IPOB’s leadership structure from detention, including the appointment of a new Directorate of State and the reported establishment of a “100-man project”, the purpose of which has not been publicly disclosed.
Neither Kanu nor IPOB had publicly responded to Uwazuruike’s allegations at the time of filing this report.
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