• Ohanaeze youths urge Igbos to wear black attire on May 30
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said that time has come for governors, especially those in the Southeast states and other “states of Biafraland” to start participating in marking May 30 as Biafra Heroes Day.
For years now it has become customary for IPOB to observe May 30 as Biafra Day and has therefore declared that the 2026 edition would be marked.
It called on the governors “to demonstrate moral courage and historical conscience by flying the Nigerian flag at half-mast on 30 May in honour of the millions who perished during the war and in the years that followed”.
IPOB made the call in a statement issued by its spokesperson/media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, in the run-up to the celebration of Biafra Day 2026.
It encouraged the governors of the concerned states to join in honouring Biafra heroes, saying that “such gesture would not diminish anyone; rather, it would acknowledge the humanity of the dead and affirm that their lives mattered”.
IPOB explained that Biafra Heroes Day was set aside “as a sacred day of remembrance, mourning, reflection, and honour for all Biafran heroes and heroines who paid the ultimate price in the defence of our people, our dignity, and our collective right to exist”.
“No people can build a just future while pretending their dead never existed,” the group further stated, adding that Biafra Day “is not a political ritual (but) a sacred covenant with the fallen heroes”.
It paid tribute to the generation of the war heroes, describing them as “men for men, a rare breed forged in fire, deprivation, sacrifice, and impossible odds”.
“They stood virtually alone against the combined weight of overwhelming military power and yet wrote one of the most astonishing resistance stories in modern history.
“They faced the geopolitical machinery of the United Kingdom, which openly backed Nigeria diplomatically and strategically throughout the war.
“They faced foreign weapons, Soviet arms supplied to Nigeria despite the Cold War divide, mercenaries, foreign advisers, blockade warfare, aerial bombardments, starvation policies, and hostile forces assembled from far beyond Biafra’s borders. And still they stood,” IPOB stated.
The Biafra self-determination group further eulogised their fallen heroes, who though “hungry, outgunned, isolated, abandoned by the world — but never broken in spirit”.
It recalled that “what they defended was more than territory. They defended the right of a people to survive (hence) their memory can never die”.
“The world may move on. History books may reduce their sacrifice to footnotes. Governments may prefer silence. But for us, remembrance is not politics. It is sacred obligation,” IPOB asserted.
It called for strict observance of Biafra 2026, saying that “this sacred day is not for politics, commerce, entertainment, weddings, burials, meetings, market activities, or social events. It is a solemn day of reflection, prayer, mourning, honour, and national remembrance”.
IPOB urged “all Biafrans at home and in the diaspora to observe this sacred covenant with discipline, dignity, and reverence worthy of the sacrifices made by those who came before us”.
Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) has joined IPOB in calling for strict observance of Biafra Heroes Day 2026, saying that total shut down as directed by IPOB and other pro-Biafra groups must be complied with.
In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, and the Secretary General, Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Nweke, OYC equally urged governors of states within the old eastern region to declare May 30 Black Day of Mourning.
The youth group urged “all Igbos residing abroad to wear black attire in their respective offices and business establishments as a tribute to the 4.3 million Igbos allegedly killed by the Federal Government led by Gen. Yakubu Gowon in conjunction with the British Government from 1967-1970”.
According to Igboayaka, “it is necessary for Igbos living outside Biafra territory to wear black attire as a symbol of mourning to honor Biafra victims and demonstrate faith in pursuit of freedom for Igbos”.
He regretted that Igbo governors and other leaders have abandoned the observance of Biafra Heroes Day, which is “a somber memorial of the tragic period in Ndigbo’s history, specifically the “Biafra Genocide 1967-1970”.
“It is unfortunate and painful that Igbo political leaders governors, senators, among others, are hiding and have failed to organize a memorial event to honor the 4.3 million victims of General Yakubu Gowon’s actions, which were driven by desperation and greed to control oil-rich Igboland and maintain Nigeria’s unsustainable unity,” the OYC leader said.
