By Abu Dalisu l May 29, 2026
The Nigerian Army has declared illegal a directive issued by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) instructing churches in the South-East to hold memorial services for victims of the Nigerian Civil War, warning clerics and residents against participating in activities capable of threatening national security.
The warning comes ahead of the May 30 Biafra Remembrance Day observance, an annual event organised by pro-Biafra groups to honour people who died during the 1967–1970 civil war.
According to reports, MASSOB had directed churches across the South-East and parts of the South-South region to organise special memorial and thanksgiving services on May 31 as part of activities marking the 59th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra by the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
The separatist movement said the memorials were intended to honour millions of civilians and combatants believed to have died during the three-year war. MASSOB also announced a sit-at-home exercise scheduled for May 30, urging markets, schools, banks and transport operators to suspend activities between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. in remembrance of fallen Biafrans.
However, military authorities reportedly described the directive as unlawful and warned religious leaders against allowing churches to be used for activities linked to separatist agitation.
Security agencies cautioned that any event capable of inciting unrest, threatening public peace or promoting secessionist agendas would be closely monitored. The Army also urged residents of the South-East to disregard unlawful directives and continue their lawful activities without fear.
MASSOB, founded in 1999, is one of the major pro-Biafra separatist organisations advocating for the restoration of an independent Biafran state through what it describes as non-violent means.
The group had earlier instructed its members to avoid public demonstrations and street processions during this year’s remembrance activities, citing fears of clashes with security operatives.
“MASSOB knows that there will be a heavy presence of the armed Nigerian Army, Mobile Police, DSS operatives and Civil Defence in major cities,” the group said in an earlier statement while insisting that no amount of intimidation would stop the Biafra self-determination movement.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), another separatist organisation, has also announced plans for a peaceful stay-at-home exercise across the South-East on May 30 to commemorate Biafran heroes and victims of the civil war. IPOB urged governors in the region to fly Nigerian flags at half-mast in honour of those who died during the conflict.
The Nigerian Civil War remains one of the most painful chapters in the country’s history, with historians estimating that more than one million people — many of them civilians — died from violence, starvation and disease during the conflict.
In previous years, Biafra remembrance activities have occasionally led to tensions and violent confrontations between security forces and pro-Biafra supporters. Human rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about alleged excessive force during some crackdowns on separatist protests.
Security presence has already been increased across several South-East cities ahead of this year’s observance, with authorities warning against any actions capable of disrupting public order.
Despite the Army’s warning, pro-Biafra groups insist that the memorial events are intended to remain peaceful acts of remembrance for victims of the civil war and supporters of Biafran self-determination.