Nigerian nightmare

Nigeria 2023: Biafra agitations may deepen after divisive elections

By Eniola Akinkuotu

Premium badge Reserved for subscribers

Posted on March 20, 2023 15:47

A supporter of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu holds a Biafra flag during a rally in support of Kanu, who is expected to appear at a magistrate court in Abuja
A supporter of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu holds a Biafra flag during a rally in support of Kanu, who is expected to appear at a magistrate court in Abuja, Nigeria December 1, 2015. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

After a violent governorship election in Lagos State where Igbo and other non-Yoruba speakers were profiled and prevented from voting, renewed hostility is brewing, evoking memories of a civil war that ended 53 years ago.

Musician Aituaje Iruobe, known professionally as Waje, believed in the Nigerian dream. She was among those recruited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the EU to compose a song titled ‘Not for Sale’, to promote Nigerian unity and peaceful elections.

On 18 March 2023, she, along with a few friends, went to a polling unit in Lagos to cast their votes, but what they witnessed was unexpected. She said her friend was attacked by thugs and told to go and vote in Anambra in the southeast.

They beat my friend…They slapped him, beat him up. They whipped him

There's more to this story

Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.

Subscribe Now

cancel anytime

More Politics

© A view of the newly-commissioned Dangote Petroleum refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

distribution details

Premium badgeWill Dangote’s Refinery solve Nigeria’s fuel consumption problems? President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, the world’s largest single-train refinery, on 22 May in Lagos am...
© Angélique Kidjo (Image TAR)

Coffee With

Angélique Kidjo, an encounter beyond space and time Fresh from winning the prestigious Polar Music Prize, the Benin-born singer tells The Africa Report what motivates her to cross cultural divides in he...
© A pedestrian walks past a mural depicting Russia’s para military mercenaries ‘Wagner Group’ reading : “Wagner Group – Russian knights” on a building’s wall in Belgrade, on November 17, 2022. (Photo by OLIVER BUNIC / AFP)

Cracking down

Premium badgeUS sanctions Wagner commander in Mali in latest crackdown on Russian mercenary operations in Africa The US government slapped new sanctions on Russia’s Wagner Group on 25 May, putting African nations on notice that working with the Kremlin-linked mer...
© Liberia’s NEC civic & voter education agents informing eligible voters in their communities to register using Liberia’s 1st Biometric Voter Registration system on 18 March 2023 (photo: twitter)

checks & balances

Premium badgeLiberia ends voter registration amid cases of voter trucking and irregularities  The national elections commission ended its voter registration on 11 May for the general election scheduled for 10 October. But the process was not wi...