government to order the military and police forces to stand down and return to their barracks and to organise a snap referendum on Biafran self-determination to be held within 90 days.
The African group lamented that Nigeria not only ignored these demands, but arrested more pro-Biafran agitators using the military to attack unarmed protesters, adding that “it is regrettable that the Nigerian government has dismissed the idea of a referendum on Biafra.”
The African group said: “The OEAS offers its good offices to put out a call for the creation of a united front and organising meeting of all groups in greater Biafra land and its environs including the Annang, Efik, Kalabari, Ibibio, Idoma, Igala, Igbo, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Ogoni and Urhobo communities.
“All involved groups and organisations must put aside their internal differences, personality issues, tribal and regional differences to achieve the desired goal,” the group said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has been granted its request to protect the identity of witnesses in the ongoing trial of the detained IPOB leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu, who is facing a six-count treason charge, had opposed an application by the government to conduct his trial in secret.
The government had in the application it filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, decried that all the witnesses billed to testify against Kanu and two other pro-Biafra agitators, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, who are facing trial with him, have declined to appear in court.
It said the witnesses insisted that they would not testify against the defendants unless their safeties were guaranteed.
However, at Monday’s proceedings when the government was billed to open its case against Kanu, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed Diri, applied for the shielding of witnesses.
Diri informed the court that the witnesses in the suit had declined to testify following threats from associates of the detained IPOB leader.
While opposing the application to shield witnesses, Kanu’s lawyer, Chuks Muoma (SAN), argued that the
