Between Self-determination and Secession: An Assessment of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Agitations for the Independence of Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

This thesis assesses the conflict between the Nigerian state and an ethnic-based organization called the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The Nigerian-IPOB conflict stems from the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 - 1970, which was caused by a secessionist attempt by the eastern region of Nigeria, historically referred to as The Biafra War. Amid claims of marginalization and the adoption of indigenousness as an identity marker for the Igbo people, IPOB has emerged as an ethno-political movement advocating for the self-determination of the Igbo-dominated Southeastern provinces. IPOB's secession demands are pursued within the framework of self-determination for indigenous people and mainly manifest as armed civil resistance. This thesis focuses on how IPOB's adoption of indigenous identity shapes their demands for self-determination and how the Nigerian government's response to such demands prolongs the conflict. The study is based on secondary materials and primary sources gathered through qualitative interviews with IPOB members, the broader Igbo ethnic members in Umuahia, Abia State, located in Southeastern Nigeria. Using the Primary Right and Remedial Right Theories of Secession as analytical frameworks, the study found that the persistence of the Nigeria-IPOB conflict is largely due to the Nigerian government's use of force and repressive strategies to suppress IPOB operatives. This study also found that the perception of the exclusion of the Igbo ethnic group from Nigeria's national political leadership influences feelings of victimization and alienation. This highlights the problem of exclusion in conflicts revolving around demands for self-determination by ethnic groups invoking indigenousness. The study also found that national unity in Nigeria is threatened by lingering feelings of marginalization of the Igbo people after the civil war.