‘Biafra is made in heaven’: exploring the religious framing of the neo-Biafra secessionist movement in Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a burgeoning literature on the religion-social movement connection. However, these literatures have on the one hand been geographically biased as most of the focus has been on the global north, and on the other hand, conceptually and theoretically inconclusive as much of the scholarly attention has been on the mobilization role of religion in social movements. As a contribution towards filling this gap, the present study examined the religious framing of the neo-Biafra separatist agitations in Nigeria. Using content and thematic analytical methods, the study analysed eight speeches delivered by the Indigenous People of Biafra’s (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu. With the findings showing an overwhelming frequency of religious concepts and the leader’s attempt to blend the socio-political and the religious aspirations of the Igbo people, the study demonstrates that religion is increasingly being appropriated to sustain the current Biafra separatist movement in Nigeria. Implications of the findings for research and policy are discussed.