The Indigenous People of Biafra, Indigenous People of Biafra has declared a sit-at-home across the South-East on May 30 to honour what it described as fallen heroes and heroines of the Biafra struggle.
In a statement, IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said the day would serve as a “sacred day of remembrance” for those who died in defence of the group’s cause.
The group urged residents in the South-East and supporters in the diaspora to observe the directive with “discipline, dignity and reverence.”
IPOB also called on governors in the region to fly the Nigerian flag at half-staff on May 30 in honour of those it said died during and after the 1967–1970 civil war.
“Such a gesture would not diminish anyone; rather, it would acknowledge the humanity of the dead,” the statement said.
Powerful said the commemoration was not a political ritual but a solemn remembrance of those who fought during the civil war.
He described the 1967–1970 conflict as a period marked by deprivation, military pressure and international involvement, including support for Nigeria from the United Kingdom and Soviet-backed arms supplies.
He said those who fought were “hungry, outgunned, isolated, abandoned by the world — but never broken in spirit.”
“What they defended was more than territory. They defended the right of a people to survive,” he said.
IPOB said May 30 represents a “covenant” of remembrance between the living and the dead and urged continued recognition of those who died in the conflict.
“We remember the soldiers who fought barefoot with empty stomachs,” the statement said. “We remember the civilians who starved under blockade. We remember every fallen hero whose blood watered the survival of a people.”
