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Uwazuruike opens another radio Biafra in Germany
THE Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, accused the federal and Anambra State governments of recruiting those it described as uneducated individuals and students in the universities to infiltrate its ranks in order to label the organisation a violent group.
IPOB members at Federal High Court Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan It also expressed gratitude to Imolites over the reception granted its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in Owerri during his unscheduled visit to a friend over the weekend, where an estimated three to four million residents thronged the streets to welcome him. Meantime, leader of Biafra Independence Movement, BIM, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has included opening of another Radio Biafra in Germany as part of activities lined up to mark the 18 years of the founding of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, which he said was formed September 13, 1999.
‘Miscreants have infiltrated our ranks’ IPOB was apparently reacting to Sunday’s incident at Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, where some youths dressed in IPOB uniform and waving Biafra flags tried to force themselves into St. Joseph’s Church in the town where Governor Willie Obiano was worshipping at the time. In a statement, yesterday, IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, accused government contractors of mobilising people who went to the Catholic church and harassed worshippers, alleging that the aim was to create room for security operatives to begin to arrest IPOB members in Ekwulobia and its environs. The statement by Powerful read:
“IPOB leaders and members are very intelligent people who cannot involve themselves in any act of violence. It is crystal clear to all and sundry that IPOB under Nnamdi Kanu remains non-violent in its pursuit for Biafra freedom and cannot change our method of peaceful approach towards the restoration of Biafra. The election boycott in Anambra, come November this year, remains, but cannot cause any violence.
“We are aware that some politicians and Nigeria security employed some uneducated individuals and groups in the society to harass the general public in the name of IPOB members. Some government contractors have printed IPOB T-shirts and Biafra flag with huge amount of money to be shared to the hungry youths to claim to be IPOB members under Nnamdi Kanu. “We advise the general public to beware of fake IPOB members, who were paid by politicians to cause confusion in Anambra and states in Biafraland.
” Suspected IPOB members sighted in Awka Meanwhile, several bus loads of suspected IPOB members were sighted in Awka, Sunday evening, as they headed towards Onitsha through the old Enugu-Onitsha road. Comprising mainly people between the 20 – 25 age bracket, and chanting Biafra songs and displaying Biafra banners, they kept shouting to other motorists and passersby that there would be no election in Anambra State in November.
Many residents of Awka said they were part of the reinforcement that tried to disrupt Governor Obiano’s church service at Ekwulobia. Thanks Imolites for reception given Kanu at Owerri Emma Powerful in a statement also thanked Biafrans and IPOB members in Anambra, Rivers, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states respectively for “the overwhelming and immeasurable welcome they gave to our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, during his visit to the respective states.
“We equally thank God Almighty (Chukwu Okike Abiama) for making the outings and visits a successful one without any hiccup or breakdown of law and order despite the provocations of Nigerian Army and Police in Ebonyi State.” IPOB in its statement further stated that “since the inception of these private visits to various towns in Biafraland by our leader, we have not had any altercation, interruption or any act of misunderstanding with IPOB, the public and law enforcement agencies. At IPOB, we make it a point of duty to stream live videos across the world of our movements and events, to prevent our enemies from instigating trouble with which they can use to justify their illegal arrests and mass murder.
” Uwazuruike opens another Radio Biafra in Germany In a statement to newsmen, yesterday, in Onitsha, Anambra State, signed by Biafra Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha, Uwazuruike noted that the celebration proper of 18 years of MASSOB would take place in Onitsha, Anambra State on September 13. He noted that other activities lined up for the 18 years of non-violence and non-exodus by MASSOB would also feature the official opening of Voice of Biafra International, VOBI, radio located in Germany, which would lead to the radio commencing broadcast on short wave (SW) band, this week.
The statement further quoted Uwazuruike as saying that the radio station would be the “authentic voice of the Biafran people and always educate, inform and enlighten our people on the issue of Biafra and not to spread hate messages or blackmail.” The statement maintained that “BIM would continue to play a leading role in our quest for Biafra”, assuring Ndigbo that it is only non-violence that will lead them to Biafra independence without firing a gunshot.
On Anambra State governorship election fixed for November 18, the statement added that its members would suffocate Anambra as the Ijele Ndigbo, Uwazuruike and BIM will visit Onitsha in solidarity with Chief Willie Obiano to tell him and Ndi-Anambra that the election must hold on November 18 as planned.
Twelve inmates have escaped from the Federal Correctional Centre in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State, following an early morning jailbreak on Monday.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, described it as “unfortunate” and assured the public that the government, in collaboration with security agencies, was taking measures to prevent a recurrence.
According to Fanwo, law enforcement officers have already re-arrested one of the escapees.
“The theory that the inmates escaped through the tower without causing any structural damage raises serious concerns. This calls for a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the escape, arrest the fleeing inmates, and identify possible saboteurs within the system,” he stated.
The commissioner further disclosed that Governor Usman Ododo has directed security agencies to ensure that such breaches do not happen again.
“We call on the public to report any suspicious individuals in their communities. Anyone found harbouring an escaped inmate will be held accountable,” Fanwo warned.
Reassuring residents, he added: “There is no cause for panic. We encourage citizens to go about their daily activities as normal, knowing that the security of lives and property remains our top priority.”
Authorities have yet to disclose further details about the escapees or ongoing efforts to apprehend them.
The United States has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, ordering them to leave the country within weeks, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with what he calls the largest deportation campaign in American history.
The sweeping directive, issued on Friday, affects approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a programme launched by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protections 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This means they must leave the United States by 24 April, unless they secure another immigration status permitting them to stay.
Welcome.US, an organisation that supports asylum seekers, has urged those impacted to “immediately” seek legal counsel regarding their options.
A Reversal of Biden’s Immigration Policy
The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations to enter the United States for two years. The initiative was designed to offer a “safe and humane” alternative to the dangerous crossings at the US-Mexico border, which had seen a surge in arrivals.
However, the DHS reiterated on Friday that the programme was never meant to provide permanent residency.
“Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States,” the agency stated.
Mass Deportations Under Trump
Trump, who has made immigration control a cornerstone of his presidency, has vowed to crack down on migrants—particularly those from Latin America.
Last week, he invoked rare wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has controversially offered to imprison both migrants and U.S. citizens at a discounted rate.
The latest order signals Trump’s intent to follow through on his hardline immigration policies, raising concerns among human rights advocates about the humanitarian impact of such mass deportations.
Tens of thousands of malnourished Nigerian children face a dire future as lifesaving food supplies are set to run dry, the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) warned on Friday, attributing the crisis to a funding shortfall exacerbated by U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The agency said that within the next two months, 80,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria could lose access to vital treatment, while a total of 1.3 million children under five in Nigeria and Ethiopia remain at risk of starvation this year.
“Without new funding, we will run out of our supply chain of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food by May, and that means that 70,000 children in Ethiopia that depend on this type of treatment cannot be served,” UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Kitty Van der Heijden, said in a video press briefing from Abuja. “Interruption to continuous treatment is life-threatening.”
The situation in Nigeria is even more urgent, with UNICEF warning that food supplies for malnourished children could be exhausted as early as the end of this month. Van der Heijden recounted a harrowing experience at a hospital in Maiduguri, where she saw a child so severely malnourished that her skin was peeling off.
U.S. Aid Suspension Escalates Crisis
UNICEF’s funding crisis follows a significant drop in international donor contributions in recent years, compounded by the U.S. government’s decision to halt all foreign aid for 90 days upon Trump’s return to the White House in January.
According to Reuters, the U.S., a major donor to UNICEF, implemented sweeping suspensions on USAID programmes worldwide, disrupting the delivery of essential food and medical aid. The impact has been catastrophic, with global humanitarian efforts thrown into disarray.
“This funding crisis will become a child survival crisis,” Van der Heijden warned, adding that the abrupt nature of the cuts left UNICEF unable to cushion the impact.
Health Services Crippled in Ethiopia
Beyond food shortages, UNICEF highlighted the devastating effects of the funding crunch on health services in Ethiopia. Programmes providing nutrition and malaria care for pregnant women and children have suffered, with 23 mobile health clinics shut down in Afar, leaving only seven operational.
As the crisis unfolds, humanitarian organisations continue to urge global donors to step in and prevent a full-blown catastrophe. Without urgent intervention, tens of thousands of children in Nigeria and Ethiopia may not survive the coming months.
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