Abuja, Nigeria — May 10, 2026
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared May 30, 2026, as a day of remembrance for victims of the Nigerian Civil War and called for a total sit-at-home across the Southeast and other parts of the former Eastern Region.
In a statement issued by IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, the group described the annual observance as a solemn moment dedicated to honouring those who died during the Biafran struggle and related incidents over the years.
According to the statement, May 30 remains “a sacred covenant with the fallen,” and will be observed as a day of mourning, reflection, and remembrance for civilians, soldiers, scientists, women, and children who lost their lives during the Nigerian Civil War between 1967 and 1970.
The group also referenced individuals allegedly killed during the May 30, 2016 remembrance events in Nkpor and Onitsha, describing them as unarmed supporters who had gathered to commemorate Biafran victims.
IPOB urged residents across the 13 states it identifies as part of Biafraland to suspend commercial, political, and social activities for the day. It stated that the sit-at-home directive is intended to allow citizens to engage in prayers and quiet reflection in memory of the dead.
The organization further appealed to governors in the Southeast and parts of the South-South region to fly Nigerian flags at half-mast in honour of those who died during the war and its aftermath.
Indigenous People of Biafra, led by Nnamdi Kanu, has consistently marked May 30 as Biafra Remembrance Day. The Nigerian government previously designated the group as a proscribed organization, while IPOB insists it remains a non-violent self-determination movement.
May 30 is historically significant as the date in 1967 when Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the Republic of Biafra, a move that triggered the Nigerian Civil War, which ended in January 1970 following Biafra’s surrender to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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