There are indications that the relaxed agitations for the realisation of the defunct Republic of Biafra and the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, may give way for a more intensive agitation in the South-East from May this year.

It was gathered that the move for the restoration of aggressive agitations in the region followed the continued incarceration of Kanu in the guise of the rule of law.

Only recently, the court had ordered that the Kanu’s matter be retried. Biafra agitators have remained silent in the region since the arrest and detention of the self-styled Biafra Prime Minister, Simeon Ekpa, in Finland, in November last year.

Before his arrest, Ekpa and his group had ensured that the Monday sit-at-home, which IPOB suspended, was sustained. They had also continued to declare sit-at-home in the region at will in the guise of sustaining the struggle.

However, since his arrest, no sit-at-home had been declared anywhere in the region, even as the Monday sit-at-home had drastically been relaxed as residents went about their normal duties.

The Guardian, however, learnt that plans have been concluded locally and internationally to inject new methods in the struggle for Biafra’s realisation. Sources said that genuine agitators of Biafra’s realisation decided to relax their activities following the level of criminalities that was associated with it “when Ekpa and his group were in charge.”

When contacted, the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, confirmed that “a fresh option is being mulled in the agitation for Biafra.”

Although he did not disclose the form the new arrangement would take, he confirmed that the relaxation of the activities of the agitators was intentional.

“We decided to relax to allow things to settle down. We needed to distinguish our activities from those of criminals who went about creating all manner of insecurity in the region in the guise of Biafra agitation.

“I can tell you that the turn of events since late last year will confirm those who imported criminalities into Igbo land and the struggle.

“The IPOB is intact. The ESN is intact. Our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, had always advocated a struggle with a human face. That is where we stand. We can never engage in actions that will trigger loss of life or property of our people,” Powerful said. (The Guardian)