102-569: Ikot Ekpene , also known as The Raffia City , is a historic town in the south-southern state of Akwa Ibom, Nigeria . It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang ethnic group in Nigeria (Nair, 1972). The town is located on the A342 highway that parallels the coast, between Calabar to the southeast and Aba to the west, with the state capital, Uyo , on this road just to the east. Umuahia
204-407: A renewed clampdown on the campaign. A report by Amnesty International between August 2015 and August 2016, at least 150 pro-Biafran activists overall were killed by Nigerian security forces, with 60 people shot in a period of two days in connection with events marking Biafran Remembrance Day. The Nigerian military killed at least 17 unarmed Biafrans in the city of Onitsha prior to
306-755: A 25-stage plan to achieve its goal peacefully. It has two arms of government, the Biafra Government in Exile and the Biafra Shadow Government. MASSOB accuses Nigeria of marginalising Biafran people. Since August 1999, protests have erupted in cities across Nigeria's south-east. Though peaceful, the protesters have been routinely attacked by the Nigerian police and army, with large numbers of people reportedly killed. Many others have been injured and/or arrested. On 29 May 2000,
408-611: A Biafra Plate Number in 2016 in response to persistent demand by some Biafran sympathizers in the diaspora and at home. On 16 June 2012, a Supreme Council of Elders of the Indigenous People of Biafra, another pro-Biafra organisation, was formed. The body is made up of some prominent persons in the Biafra region. They sued the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the right to self-determination . Debe Odumegwu Ojukwu,
510-584: A Chief of Staff and operational commander who are both natives of the Bakassi . BNL have recorded a series of security clamp downs, especially in Bakassi where soldiers of 'Operations Delta Safe' apprehended the National Leader, Princewill, in the Ikang-Cameroon border area on 9 November 2016. During an attempt to mobilise a protest in support of Kanu's release, he was again re-arrested by
612-402: A Nigerian panel resolved to give every Igbo person an account with only 20 pounds. Federal projects in Biafra were also greatly reduced compared to other parts of Nigeria. In an Intersociety study it was found that Nigerian security forces also extorted approximately $ 100 million per year from illegal roadblocks and other methods from Igboland – a cultural sub-region of Biafra in what
714-816: A converted Douglas DC-3 and one British de Havilland Dove . In 1968 the Swedish pilot Carl Gustaf von Rosen suggested the MiniCOIN project to General Ojukwu. By early 1969, Biafra had assembled five MFI-9Bs in neighbouring Gabon , calling them the "Biafra Babies". They were painted in green camouflage and armed with two Matra Type 122 rocket pods, each being able to carry six 68 mm SNEB anti-armour rockets under each wing and had Swedish WW2 reflex sights from old FFVS J 22s . The six aeroplanes were flown by three Swedish pilots and three Biafran pilots. In September 1969, Biafra acquired four ex-French North American T-6 Texans (T-6G) , which were flown to Biafra
816-610: A functioning governmental system during the period of secession. Biafra was formally recognised by Gabon , Haiti , Ivory Coast , Tanzania , and Zambia . Other nations, that did not officially recognise Biafra, but granted de facto recognition in the form of diplomatic support or military aid, included France , Spain , Portugal , Norway , Israel , Rhodesia , South Africa , and Vatican City . Biafra received aid from non-state actors , including Joint Church Aid, foreign mercenaries , Holy Ghost Fathers of Ireland, Caritas Internationalis , and Catholic Relief Services of
918-594: A less centralised union of regions. The Northerners were at odds with this agreement that was known as the Aburi Accords ; Obafemi Awolowo , the leader of the Western Region warned that if the Eastern Region seceded, the Western Region would also, which persuaded the northerners. Now, therefore, I, Lieutenant-Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of
1020-501: A long history of transforming the raffia fibre into cloth used in shoes, hats, handbags, mats and with distinctive cultural carvings made out of wood. These unique arts and crafts trades have continued alongside traditional agriculture. Many foreign organizations and churches are present in the area. Four institutions of higher learning have added richness to the town: the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua,
1122-568: A march on 30 May 2016 commemorating the 49th anniversary of Biafra's 1967 declaration of independence. Another group is the Biafra Nations League, formerly known as Biafra Nations Youth League, which has its operational base in Bakassi Peninsula . The group is led by Princewill Chimezie Richard, alias Prince Obuka, and Ebuta Akor Takon (not to be mistaken by its former Deputy, Ebuta Ogar Takon). The group also has
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#17327720283811224-545: A part of the Oil Rivers Protectorate . Prior to the British colonization, no central government had existed among the people of what is now Akwa Ibom State. The various ethnic peoples were largely organized into clan communities, based on kinship and relations. Several Scottish missionaries went to Calabar in 1848, and Ibono in 1887. The British government did not attempt to establish more control over
1326-625: A second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government Areas. Notable places. Four points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene. It's a hotel located at the heart of Ikot Ekpene town. Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene has an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, a terrace and restaurant in Ikot Ekpene, with free WiFi access as well. Akwa Ibom state has one of Nigerians international stadiums situated in Uyo which
1428-684: Is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria . It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean . The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe River which bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny . Akwa Ibom was split from Cross River State in 1987 with her capital Uyo and with 31 local government areas . Of
1530-519: Is estimated that a total of £115–140 million Biafran pounds were in circulation by the end of the conflict, with a population of about 14 million, approximately £10 per person. At the beginning of the war Biafra had 3,000 soldiers, but at the end of the war, the soldiers totalled 30,000. There was no official support for the Biafran Army by any other nation throughout the war, although arms were clandestinely acquired. Because of
1632-461: Is known as a regional centre of commerce, with notable exports of palm products, especially palm oil , kernels , raffia products including raffia fibers and its wine, and ground crops of yams , cassava , taro , and corn . The population is made up primarily of the Annang people with a small number of Igbo traders and Hausa Suya vendors. Significant exports also include basket weaving , sculpture, and, most notably, raffia cane furniture (hence
1734-474: Is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with the state house of assembly. The capital city of the state is Uyo. The electoral system of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes threshold,
1836-592: Is now southern Nigeria, causing the Igbo citizenry to trust the Nigerian security forces even less than before. The Republic of Biafra comprised over 29,848 square miles (77,310 km ) of land, with terrestrial borders shared with Nigeria to the north and west, and with Cameroon to the east. Its coast is on the Gulf of Guinea of the South Atlantic Ocean in the south. The country's northeast bordered
1938-635: Is the next major town to the north. The population of the Ikot Ekpene Local government area was estimated to be 180,500 in 2022. Kannan Nair, the noted historian described the town as a cultural and political capital of the Annangs and the Ibibios. The Ibibios live to the east and most of the Annangs live to the south of the town. Villages in the local government area include: Ikot Ekpene
2040-576: Is tropical with significant rainfall and a short dry season. Politics in Akwa Ibom State are dominated by the three main ethnic groups: the Ibibio , Annang , and Oro . Of these three, the Ibibio remain the majority and have held sway in the state since its creation. The list of ministries in Akwa Ibom State include the following: Akwa Ibom State consists of thirty-one (31) local government areas . They include: The main ethnic groups of
2142-632: The 36 states , Akwa Ibom is the 30th largest in area and fifteenth most populous , with an estimated population of nearly 5.5 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is divided between the Central African mangroves in the coastal far south and the Cross–Niger transition forests in the rest of the state. Other important geographical features are the Imo and Cross rivers which flow along Akwa Ibom's eastern and western borders respectively while
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#17327720283812244-851: The Benue Hills and mountains that lead to Cameroon. Three major rivers flow from Biafra into the Gulf of Guinea: the Imo River , the Cross River and the Niger River . The territory of the Republic of Biafra is covered nowadays by the reorganised Nigerian states of Akwa Ibom , Rivers , Cross River , Bayelsa , Ebonyi , Enugu , Anambra , Imo , Abia , Delta and southern Kogi and Benue states. The languages of Biafra were Igbo , Anaang, Efik, Ibibio, Ogoni, and Ijaw However, English
2346-617: The Biafran forces as they were mainly non-Igbos. At the war's end and the reunification of Nigeria, the South-Eastern State was reformed until 1976 when it was renamed Cross River State . Eleven years later, Cross River State was divided on 23 September 1987, by the Military Administration of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida . This division resulted in the creation of the state of Akwa Ibom, Uyo
2448-703: The Center for World Indigenous Studies reported that government-sanctioned killings were taking place in the southeastern city of Onitsha , because of a shoot-to-kill policy directed toward Biafrans, particularly members of the MASSOB. The Nigerian federal government accuses MASSOB of violence; MASSOB's leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested in 2005 and was detained on treason charges. He has since been released and has been rearrested and released more than five times. In 2009, MASSOB leader Chief Uwazuruike launched an unrecognised "Biafran International Passport" and also launched
2550-714: The Church of Nigeria is Prince Asukwo Antai (2014). Like their Efik neighbors of Cross River State , people of Akwa Ibom speak various dialects of the Ibibio-Efik languages , which belong to the Benue–Congo language family, forming part of the Niger–Congo group of languages with close affinity to the Igbos with whom they share some language and cultural similarities due to many centuries of inter-tribal relationships between
2652-483: The Igbos of Arochukwu kingdom even before the advent of the colonial Europeans . The following table lists languages of Akwa Ibom State, and the local government areas in which they are spoken: The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education is tasked with monitoring the education sector of the state. The current part of Akwa Ibom State that was within the former Calabar Kingdom , was the first site of Western education in Nigeria. The Hope Waddell Training Institute
2754-789: The Indigenous People of Biafra , the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra , and the Biafra Zionist Front . Early modern maps of Africa from the 15th to the 19th centuries, drawn from accounts written by explorers and travellers, show references to Biafar, Biafara, Biafra, and Biafares. According to the maps, the European travellers used the word Biafara to describe
2856-566: The Kwa Ibo River bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny . In the southeast corner of the state is the Stubb Creek Forest Reserve , a heavily threatened wildlife reserve that contains declining crocodile , putty-nosed monkey , red-capped mangabey , and Sclater's guenon populations along with potentially extirpated populations of African leopard and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee . Offshore,
2958-476: The Niger River delta and along the Niger River . The international humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières originated in response to the suffering in Biafra. During the crisis, French medical volunteers, in addition to Biafran health workers and hospitals, were subjected to attacks by the Nigerian army and witnessed civilians being murdered and starved by the blockading forces. French doctor Bernard Kouchner also witnessed these events, particularly
3060-465: The 18th century in the area around Senegal and Gambia. In his personal writings from his travels, a Rev. Charles W. Thomas defined the locations of islands in the Bight of Biafra as "between the parallels of longitude 5° and 9° East and latitude 4° North and 2° South ". In 1960, Nigeria became independent of the United Kingdom . As with many other new African states,
3162-546: The Bank of Biafra started printing out its own notes, the Biafran pound . The new currency went public on 28 January 1968, and the Nigerian pound was not accepted as an exchange unit. The first issue of the bank notes included only 5 shillings notes and 1 pound notes. The Bank of Nigeria exchanged only 30 pounds for an individual and 300 pounds for enterprises in the second half of 1968. In 1969, new notes were introduced: £ 10, £5, £1, 10 /- and 5/-. It
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3264-757: The British actually gained formal control of the area before incorporating the protectorate (now renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate ) into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into British Nigeria ; after the merger, much of modern-day Akwa Ibom became a centre of anti-colonial resistance during the Women's War and political activism through the Ibibio State Union. After independence in 1960,
3366-547: The British, the town became the seat of both the (Annang) Division and (Ikot Ekpene) County Council. Today it is a municipal centre in the state of Akwa Ibom. Ikot Ekpene, probably more than any other town, was seriously impacted in the Biafrian civil war. It had strategic military and political importance to both the Biafrans and Nigerians. The town and the area changed hands at least 3 times in this bitter conflict. Following
3468-583: The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigerian and Nigerian Communications Commission, has sought to clamp down on Radio Biafra with limited success. On 17 November 2015, the Abia state police command seized an Indigenous People of Biafra radio transmitter in Umuahia . On 23 December 2015, Kanu was detained and charged with charges that amounted to treason against the Nigerian state. He
3570-591: The Europeans) from Ukana in charge of the immediate Annang people. From Ikot Ekpene the troops marched to Uyo and from there to Abak and Opobo (now Ikot Abasi ). Between 1904 and 1910, Ikot Ekpene became part of the Enyong District. In 1914 Enyong District was broken up into two: Enyong and Ikot Ekpene Districts. The new Ikot Ekpene District included Uyo and Abak with the headquarters in Ikot Ekpene town (Akpan, 1967). By 1919, trade with Europeans opened up as
3672-604: The Gulf of Guinea, has links with Dokubo Asari, a former militant leader. About 100 members of the group were reportedly arrested in Bayelsa during a meeting with Dokubo on 18 August 2019. The Incorporated Trustees of Bilie Human Rights Initiative, representing the Indigenous People of Biafra, have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government of Nigeria and Attorney General of the Federation, seeking
3774-545: The LGAs in which they are spoken: One research however claims to "have identified just about 10 languages", claiming that some languages are dialects of others, though the criteria for classification as dialects is not clearly stated. In the pre-colonial period, what is now Akwa Ibom State was divided into various city-states like the Ibom Kingdom and Akwa Akpa before they later became a British protectorate in 1884 as
3876-466: The Lagos Guardian newspaper reported that the former president Olusegun Obasanjo commuted to retirement the dismissal of all military persons, soldiers and officers, who fought for the breakaway Republic of Biafra during Nigeria's 1967–1970 civil war. In a national broadcast, he said the decision was based on the belief that "justice must at all times be tempered with mercy". In July 2006,
3978-636: The Nigeria Police Force in the same area on 16 January 2018 along with 20 of their supporters. Many media outlets reported that BnL is linked to the Southern Cameroons separatists ; although the group confirms this, they denied involvement in violent activities in the Cameroon. The Deputy Leader, Ebuta Akor Takon is an Ejagham native, a tribe in Nigeria and also in significant number in Cameroon. BnL, which operates more in
4080-411: The Nigerian military approached the capital of Biafra. Philip Effiong became the second president of Biafra , and he oversaw the surrender of Biafran forces to Nigeria. Igbo nationalism became a strong political and social force after the civil war. It has grown more militant since the 1990s, calling for the revival of Biafra as an entity. Various Biafran secessionist groups have emerged, such as
4182-517: The School of Nursing, the St. Joseph Major Theological Seminary and Ritman University. Villages in the local government area include: The Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium is located in Ikot Ekpene. It is the home of football club Vandrezzer FC , the 37th most popular African football club on social media in 2020. The Ikot Ekpene stadium is now the host to The Nigerian National League team Ibom Youth FC. It
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4284-492: The U.K. government clarified that IPOB had not been designated as a terrorist organisation. IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for poor investment, political alienation, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence, extrajudicial killings in the South-Eastern, South-Central and parts of North-Central regions of the country. The organization rose to prominence in
4386-572: The United States. Doctors Without Borders also originated in response to the suffering. Although the government of the United States under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson maintained an official neutral stance during the war, there was strong public support for Biafra in the United States. The American Committee to Keep Biafra Alive was founded by American activists to spread pro-Biafran propaganda. U.S. president Richard Nixon
4488-627: The Western political crisis, the Western Region was divided as Ladoke Akintola clashed with Obafemi Awolowo . Widespread reports of fraud tarnished the election's legitimacy. Westerners especially resented the political domination of the Northern People's Congress, many of whose candidates ran unopposed in the election. Violence spread throughout the country, and some began to flee the North and West, some to Dahomey . The apparent domination of
4590-631: The actualisation of the sovereign state of Biafra by legal means. The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed 25 February 2019 for hearing the suit. On 31 July 2020, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra/Biafra Independence Movement (BIM-MASSOB) joined the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO). The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a separatist group in Nigeria that aims to restore
4692-408: The administration of foreign exchange and the management of the public debt of the Republic. The bank was administered by a governor and four directors; the first governor, who signed on bank notes, was Sylvester Ugoh . A second decree, "Decree No. 4 of 1967", modified the Banking Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the Republic of Biafra. The bank was first located in Enugu, but due to
4794-412: The agreement and unilaterally declared the creation of several new states including some that gerrymandered the Igbos in Biafra. On 26 May, Ojukwu decreed to secede from Nigeria after consultations with community leaders from across the Eastern Region. Four days later, Ojukwu unilaterally declared the independence of the Republic of Biafra, citing the Igbos killed in the post-coup violence as reasons for
4896-408: The area did not have direct contact with European traders who they called Mbakara until early in the twentieth century, it is believed that European articles of trade reached the people beginning in the 17th century. In November 1903, British troops arrived in the area from Calabar and the following year established a garrison there in January 1904, putting Umoren Eyenobong (known as swordwearer by
4998-468: The area of now-Akwa Ibom was a part of the post-independence Eastern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the South-Eastern State . Less than two months afterwards, the Igbo -majority former Eastern Region attempted to secede as the state of Biafra ; in the three-year long Nigerian Civil War , now-Akwa Ibom was hard-fought over in the prelude to the Invasion of Port Harcourt while people from Akwa Ibom were persecuted by
5100-458: The area until 1904. In that year, they organized the Enyong Division, encompassing the area of the current state of Akwa Ibom, with headquarters at Ikot Ekpene , a predominately Annang city. Noted Africanist Kaanan Nair, noted this city as the cultural and political capital of the Annang and Ibibio peoples . The greater Southeast was largely dominated by the majority Igbo people . The creation of Enyong Division encouraged collaboration among
5202-417: The authority, and pursuant to the principles, recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters shall henceforth be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of "The Republic of Biafra". Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu After returning to Nigeria, the federal government reneged on
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#17327720283815304-446: The borders of the country did not reflect earlier ethnic, cultural, religious, or political boundaries. Thus, the northern region of the country has a Muslim majority, being primarily made up of territory of the indigenous Sokoto Caliphate . The southern population is predominantly Christian , being primarily made up of territory of the indigenous Yoruba and Igbo states in the west and east respectively. Following independence, Nigeria
5406-438: The colloquial name of the town). Ikot Ekpene is also known for its technological innovations due to the emergence of Raffia City Hub . Raffia City Hub is an inclusive technological community that supports collaboration, resource sharing, talent hunting, and entrepreneurs. The new Ikot Ekpene Local Government Boss (Caretaker Chairman Ikot Ekpene) Hon. John Cleton Etim inaugurated the Raffia City Entrepreneurs scheme committee. Also
5508-538: The country in large part due to years of systemic corruption. Akwa Ibom State's economy is based on the production of crude oil and natural gas . It produces the most oil of any state in the country. It includes the following oil- producing Local Government Areas: Ibeno , Mbo , and Eastern Obolo . Key minor industries are based on agriculture; the state has substantial cocoyam , yam , and plantain crops, along with fishing and heliciculture . Despite its vast oil revenues, Akwa Ibom ranks as seventeenth among
5610-437: The declaration of independence. It is believed this was one of the major factors that sparked the war. The large amount of oil in the region also created conflict, as oil was already becoming a major component of the Nigerian economy. Biafra was ill-equipped for war, with fewer army personnel and less equipment than the Nigerian military, but had advantages over the Nigerian state as they were fighting in their homeland and had
5712-442: The defunct Republic of Biafra , a country which seceded from Nigeria in 1967 prior to the Nigerian Civil War and was subsequently dissolved following its defeat in 1970. Since 2021, IPOB and other Biafran separatist groups have been fighting a low-level guerilla conflict in southeastern Nigeria against the Nigerian government . The group was founded in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu who has been the leader and Uche Mefor , who served as
5814-462: The deputy leader. Kanu is known as a British political activist known for his advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement. It was declared a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government in 2017 under the Nigerian Terrorism Act but the declaration was nullified by a High Court sitting in Enugu in 2023. As of May 2022, the United Kingdom started denying asylum to members of IPOB who allegedly engaged in human rights abuses, though
5916-433: The eldest son of ex-President / General Ojukwu and a Lagos state-based lawyer was the lead counsel that championed the case. MASSOB leader Chief Ralph Uwazuruike established Radio Biafra in the United Kingdom in 2009, with Nnamdi Kanu as his radio director; later Kanu was said to have been dismissed from MASSOB because of accusations of supporting violence. The Nigerian Government, through its broadcasting regulators,
6018-444: The event: At Jos in 1945, a sudden and savage attack by Northerners took the Easterners completely by surprise, and before the situation could be brought under control, the bodies of Eastern women, men, and children littered the streets and their property worth thousands of pounds reduced to shambles Three hundred Igbo people were murdered in the Jos riots. In 1953 a similar riot occurred in Kano . A decade later in 1964 and during
6120-438: The favoured Western Region politician Obafemi Awolowo were not killed. The commander of the army, General Aguiyi Ironsi seized power to maintain order. In July 1966, northern officers and army units staged a countercoup, killing General Aguiyi Ironsi and several southern officers. The predominantly Muslim officers named a General from a small ethnic group (the Angas) in central Nigeria, General Yakubu "Jack" Gowon , as
6222-542: The following month, with another aircraft lost on the ferry flight. These aircraft flew missions until January 1970 and were flown by Portuguese ex-military pilots. Biafra also had a small improvised navy, but it never gained the success that their air force did. It was headquartered in Kidney Island, Port Harcourt , and commanded by Winifred Anuku. The Biafran Navy was made up of captured craft, converted tugs, and armour-reinforced civilian vessels armed with machine guns or captured 6-pounder guns . It mainly operated in
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#17327720283816324-434: The former Eastern Region of Nigeria, predominantly inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group. Biafra was established on 30 May 1967 by Igbo military officer and Eastern Region governor Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu under his presidency, following a series of ethnic tensions and military coups after Nigerian independence in 1960 that culminated in the 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom . The Nigerian military proceeded in an attempt to reclaim
6426-418: The head of the Federal Military Government (FMG). The two coups deepened Nigeria's ethnic tensions. In September 1966, approximately 30,000 Igbo civilians were killed in the north , and some Northerners were killed in backlashes in eastern cities. In January 1967, the military leaders Yakubu "Jack" Gowon , Chukwuemeka Ojukwu and senior police officials of each region met in Aburi , Ghana and agreed on
6528-409: The headquarters of some notable seminaries and The Catholic Diocese in the south-south region. The Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic Ikot Osurua, Ritman University is located in the city. The city houses the notable mini stadium at GRA road, Nteps Super Markets, Four Point by Sheraton hotels, plaza etc. Oral history indicated The Annangs first settled the area in the 16th century. Though most inhabitants of
6630-466: The huge number of starving children, and, when he returned to France , he publicly criticised the Nigerian government and the Red Cross for their seemingly complicit behaviour. With the help of other French doctors, Kouchner put Biafra in the media spotlight and called for an international response to the situation. These doctors, led by Kouchner, concluded that a new aid organisation was needed that would ignore political/religious boundaries and prioritise
6732-477: The insurrectionist guerrilla forces of the Viet Cong in the American – Vietnamese War , targeting Nigerian Federal Army supply lines and forcing them to shift forces to internal security efforts. The Biafrans managed to set up a small yet effective air force. The BAF commander was Polish World War II ace Jan Zumbach . Early inventory included four World War II American bombers: two B-25 Mitchells , two B-26 Invaders (Douglas A-26) (one piloted by Zumbach),
6834-413: The lack of official support, the Biafrans manufactured many of their weapons locally. Europeans served in the Biafran cause; German-born Rolf Steiner was a lieutenant colonel assigned to the 4th Commando Brigade and Welshman Taffy Williams served as a Major until the very end of the conflict. A special guerrilla unit, the Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighters, was established, designed to emulate
6936-413: The largest impacts stem from adolescent exposure." The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) emerged in 1999 as a nonviolent Biafran nationalist group, associated with Igbo nationalism . The group enacted a "re-launch" of Biafra in Aba , the commercial centre of Abia State and a major commercial centre on Igbo land. MASSOB says it is a peaceful group and advertises
7038-412: The main market and separated those who sold imported European goods from indigenous articles. A slaughterhouse was added to allow for the inspection of meat (Ette, 2020). In 1903, the British sent in troops and a garrison was stationed there at the main entrance to the town known as Control Post. The town was so important to the British that when a proposed road linking Owerri and Calabar in the late 1920s
7140-425: The mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by membership. In recent years, it has gained significant media attention for becoming a frequent target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government . It also has numerous sites and communication channels serving as the only trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first hand information and news to its members. An organization for
7242-403: The numerous minority ethnic groups in the area. They created the Ibibio Welfare Union, later renamed Ibibio State Union. This social organization was first established as a local development and improvement forum for educated African persons and groups who in 1929 were still excluded from the colonial administration. It was dominated by British colonists and their appointees. In the early 1900s,
7344-405: The ongoing war, it was relocated several times. Biafra attempted to finance the war through foreign exchange. After Nigeria announced its currency would no longer be legal tender (to make way for a new currency), this effort increased. After the announcement, tons of Nigerian bank notes were transported in an effort to acquire foreign exchange. The currency of Biafra had been the Nigerian pound until
7446-450: The political system by the North, and the chaos breaking out across the country, motivated elements within the military to consider decisive action. The federal government, dominated by Northern Nigeria, allowed the crisis to unfold with the intention of declaring a state of emergency and placing the Western Region under martial law. This administration of the Nigerian federal government was widely perceived to be corrupt. In January 1966,
7548-401: The region of today's West Cameroon, including an area around today's Equatorial Guinea. The German publisher Johann Heinrich Zedler , in his encyclopedia of 1731 , published the exact geographical location of the capital of Biafara, namely alongside the river Rio dos Camaroes in today's Cameroon, underneath 6 degrees 10 min latitude. The words Biafara and Biafares also appear on maps from
7650-471: The restoration of Biafra and in October 2023, it convened a three-day convention where the possibility of a Biafra referendum was discussed, attended by over 500 Biafrans and delegates globally. On 1 February 2024, a digital E-Voting was adopted, and a self-referendum kick-started the same day. Within days of the referendum exercise, more than two million electorates were reportedly recorded. Prior to
7752-549: The restoration of an independent Biafran state has been led by Simon Ekpa , a Finnish politician and Biafran political activist. Ekpa describes himself as Nnamdi Kanu's disciple. He serves as the leader ("prime minister") of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), since 2023. In 2023, BRGIE inaugurated an administrative office in Maryland , United States. It initiated the process of declaring
7854-532: The situation reached a breaking point. A military coup occurred during which a mixed but predominantly Igbo group of army officers assassinated 30 political leaders, including Nigeria's Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa , and the Northern premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello . The four most senior officers of Northern origin were also killed. Nnamdi Azikiwe , the President, of Igbo extraction, and
7956-549: The state include: Ibibio , Anaang , Oro and Obolo . The people of Akwa Ibom are predominantly Christians. 976,791 Catholics (2020) in the two dioceses of Uyo [1] (1989) with 74 parishes under Bishop John Ebebe Ayah (2014), and Ikot Ekpene (1963) with 53 parishes under Bishop Camillus Raymond Umoh (2010), both suffragans of the Archdiocese of Calabar . The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Uyo within
8058-491: The state is also biodiverse as there are large fish populations alongside various cetacean species , including bottlenose dolphins , pantropical spotted dolphins , humpback whales , and killer whales . Modern-day Akwa Ibom State has been inhabited by various ethnic groups for hundreds of years, primarily the closely related Ibibio , Annang , and Oron peoples in the North-East , North-West , and Southern zones of
8160-418: The state, respectively. Economically, Akwa Ibom State is based around the production of crude oil and natural gas as highest oil-producing state in the country. Key minor industries involve agriculture as the state has substantial cocoyam , yam , and plantain crops along with fishing and heliciculture . Despite its vast oil revenues, Akwa Ibom has the seventeenth highest Human Development Index in
8262-528: The states List of Nigerian states by Human Development Index#2019 in the Human Development Index . Years of systemic corruption have resulted in such revenues being diverted from improving infrastructure, education and welfare of the people. "There are 20 languages spoken as first languages in Akwa Ibom State." However, comparing different sources show there are slightly over 20 languages. They are as follows (in alphabetical order) with
8364-543: The support of most Biafrans. The FMG attacked Biafra on 6 July 1967. Nigeria's initial efforts were unsuccessful; the Biafrans successfully launched their own offensive, and expansion efforts; occupying areas in the mid-Western Region in August ;1967. This led to the creation of the Republic of Benin , a short lived puppet state. However, with the support of British, American and Soviet governments, Nigeria turned
8466-559: The surrender of Biafrans, some Igbos who had fled the conflict returned to their properties but were unable to claim them back from new occupants. This became law in the Abandoned Properties Act (28 September 1979). It was purported that at the start of the civil war, Igbos withdrew their funds from Nigerian banks and converted it to the Biafran currency. After the war, bank accounts owned by Biafrans were seized and
8568-579: The territory of Biafra, resulting in the start of the Nigerian Civil War . Biafra was officially recognised by Gabon , Haiti , Ivory Coast , Tanzania , and Zambia while receiving de facto recognition and covert military support from France , Portugal , Israel , South Africa and Rhodesia . After nearly three years of war, during which around two million Biafran civilians died, president Ojukwu fled into exile in Ivory Coast as
8670-484: The tide of the war. By October 1967, the FMG had regained the land after intense fighting. In September 1968, the federal army planned what Gowon described as the "final offensive". Initially, the final offensive was neutralised by Biafran troops. In the latter stages, a Southern FMG offensive managed to break through the fierce resistance. Due to the proliferation of television and international news organizations,
8772-455: The time) are typical annual totals for Akwa Ibom. The Akwa Ibom region regularly has tropical monsoons . All year long, there are high temperatures and a lot of rain. The region of Akwa Ibom has an average yearly temperature of 60 degrees and 672 inches of precipitation. The average humidity is 80% and the UV-index is 7. It is dry for only 52 days of the year. The climate of Akwa Ibom
8874-628: The total blockade of the region by the Nigerian government, Biafran forces under Nigeria's motto of "No-victor, No-vanquished" surrendered to the Nigerian Federal Military Government (FMG) . The surrender was facilitated by the Biafran Vice President and Chief of General Staff, Major General Philip Effiong , who assumed leadership of the Republic of Biafra after the first President, Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu , fled to Ivory Coast . After
8976-479: The town became an administrative centre. The following companies had posts and stores in the town: John Holt's, Cooperative Wholesale Society, Paterson Zochonis (PZ), G. B. Ollivant and the Compagnie Francaise de L'Afrique Occidentale. The establishment of these companies resulted in an exodus from the surrounding areas and made Ikot Ekpene a vibrant metropolis. In 1937, the colonial administration built
9078-424: The war found a global audience. 1968 saw the images of malnourished and starving Biafran children reach the mass media of Western countries and led to non-governmental organisations become involved to provide humanitarian aid, leading to the Biafran airlift . After two-and-a-half years of war, during which almost two million Biafran civilians (three-quarters of them small children) died from starvation caused by
9180-474: The war in their growing years exhibit reduced adult stature, increased likelihood of being overweight, earlier age at first birth, and lower educational attainment. Exposure to a primary education program mitigates impacts of war exposure on education. War-exposed men marry later and have fewer children. War exposure of mothers (but not fathers) has adverse impacts on child growth, survival, and education. Impacts vary with age of exposure. For mother and child health,
9282-487: The war, the new reorganization and state structure led to policies that did not recognize the historic importance of the town as most of the Annang leaders were massacred during the war. Like most Annang communities, Ikot Ekpene has a tradition of self-improvement from its sons and daughters, both near and far. Several groups are working together to recapture and rebuild what they fondly call "The Raffia City". Ikot Ekpene has
9384-827: The welfare of victims. In their study Smallpox and its Eradication , Fenner and colleagues describe how vaccine supply shortages during the Biafra smallpox campaign led to the development of the focal vaccination technique, later adopted worldwide by the World Health Organization of the United Nations , which led to the early and cost-effective interruption of smallpox transmission in West Africa and elsewhere. In 2010, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and University of Nigeria at Nsukka showed that Igbos born in Biafra during
9486-471: The years of the famine were of higher risk of suffering from obesity, hypertension and impaired glucose metabolism compared to controls born a short period after the famine had ended in the early 1970s. The findings are in line with the developmental origin of health and disease hypothesis suggesting that malnutrition in early life is a predisposing factor for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes later in life. A 2017 paper found that Biafran "women exposed to
9588-625: Was also a former ground for Akwa Starlet, now Dakkadda FC . It has several football teams such as Mashal Rock FC, Raffia City FC, Ituen FC, Police Academy, Ibom Stars etc. Great players have come from this city, such as Etok Aniekan ( Esperanza of Tunisia ), Isaac George ( Akwa United ), Imoh Obot ( Nassarawa United ), and Vincent Eyeama ( Marshall Rock to Lille of France, Super Eagles of Nigeria) . Ette, E. (2020) Acculturative Stress and Change in Nigerian Society, Landham, Maryland, Lexington Books. Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom State
9690-419: Was chosen as the state capital in order to encourage development in all regions of the state. Akwa Ibom has a tropical monsoon climate (Classification: Am) and is 42.58 meters (139.7 feet) above sea level. The city's average annual temperature is -0.99% lower than Nigeria's averages at 28.47 °C (83.25 °F). 342.56 millimeters (13.49 inches) of precipitation and 294.37 rainy days (80.65% of
9792-685: Was demarcated primarily along ethnic lines: Hausa and Fulani majority in the north, Yoruba majority in the West, and Igbo majority in the East. Ethnic tension had simmered in Nigeria during discussions of independence, but in the mid-twentieth century, ethnic and religious riots began to occur. In 1945 an ethnic riot flared up in Jos in which Hausa-Fulani people targeted Igbo people and left many dead and wounded. Police and Army units from Kaduna had to be brought in to restore order. A newspaper article describes
9894-693: Was founded at Calabar in 1895, and the Methodist Boys' High School, Oron in 1905. Other top schools, such as the Catholic seminaries Holy Family College at Abak and Regina Coeli College in Essene , were also soon founded. Some educational institutes in the state today are: Federal highways Other major highways include: Airports: Victor Attah International Airport (2009) 24 km southeast of Uyo has services to Abuja and Lagos, and Eket Airstrip for domestic flights. The State government
9996-423: Was named after the former Governor Godswill Akpabio . The stadium has hosted both local and international matches of the Nigeria football team. Biafrian Biafra ( / b i ˈ æ f r ə / bee- AF -rə ), officially the Republic of Biafra , was a partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of
10098-533: Was released on bail on 24 April 2017 after spending more than 19 months without trial of his treason charges. Self-determination is not a crime in Nigerian law. According to the South-East Based Coalition of Human Rights Organisations, security forces under the directive of the federal government have killed 80 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and their supporters between 30 August 2015 and 9 February 2016 in
10200-559: Was sympathetic to Biafra. Before he won the 1968 election , he accused Nigeria of committing a genocide against Biafrans and called for the United States to intervene in the war to support Biafra. However, he was ultimately unsuccessful in his efforts to aid Biafra due to the demands of the Vietnam War . An early institution created by the Biafran government was the Bank of Biafra, accomplished under "Decree No. 3 of 1967". The bank carried out all central banking functions including
10302-490: Was to bypass the town, the British administrators abandoned the idea in favour of one linking Eket and Owerri in order to bring the town into the loop (Nair, 1972). It became the site of the experiment in local self-governance by the British in 1951. It was also the birthplace of the famous Ibibio Welfare Union when James Udo Eka teamed up with Udosen Obot at a Methodist school in Ikot Obong Edong (Noah, 1988). Under
10404-657: Was used as the national language. The Republic of Biafra, a short-lived secessionist state in Nigeria from 1967 to 1970, was characterized by a unitary republic structure administered under emergency measures. It comprised an executive branch led by the Biafran president and the Biafran Cabinet, along with a judicial branch that included the Ministry of Justice, the Biafran Supreme Court, and other subordinate courts, reflecting its attempts to establish
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