State Repression and Militarization of Secessionist Movement in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

The advent of democratic regime in Nigeria coupled with its principles of freedom of speech, expression, and association, spark up the rebirth of the Biafra secessionist movements in the southeast geopolitical zone. Such groups like the Movement or Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Biafra Zionist Federation (BZF), and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have stepped up struggles for the actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra through protests and other forms of social mobilization. The protests have triggered tension and heightened insecurity, with the security agencies often applying excessive force to quell the protests. The extant literature is awash with narratives regarding the recent upsurge and persistent centrifugal demands by pro-Biafra secessionists, fifty years after the Nigerian civil war; scholars agreed that Nigeria state has at one time or the other applied repressive measures to quell secessionist agitations in southeast Nigeria, this in turn have led to increased militarization of these separatist agitations. But none have concretely showed how state repression have aggravated this secessionist agitation in southeast Nigeria. This work is guided by one research questions: How is state repression implicated in the increased militarization of secessionist agitation in southeast Nigeria? This is qualitative research that made use of the Expo-facto research design. Data was collected through secondary sources and analyzed using content analysis and the Gellnerian theory of nation and nationalism. Our findings showed that state repression is to a great extent implicated in the increased militarization of secessionist agitations in southeast Nigeria. Our recommendation was the government should be proactive towards secessionist movements, and instead of the use of force, should adopt a non-kinetic method in tackling such cases, to avoid further militarization of these agitations in southeast Nigeria. Government should also ensure that every ethnic group is included and build the spirit of a nation-state in every citizen.