Army’s Ban On Biafra Memorial Prayers Provocative — Ejimakor

Human rights lawyer and counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has condemned the Nigerian Army’s directive against church memorial services for victims of the Nigerian Civil War, describing it as “provocative, insensitive and anti-Igbo.”

Ejimakor made the remarks on Saturday in a post on his verified X handle while reacting to a statement by the Headquarters of Operation UDO KA, which warned against a directive by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) urging churches in the South-East and parts of the South-South to hold memorial prayers for victims of the 1967–1970 civil war.

He argued that the military’s position amounted to an overreach and questioned the rationale behind restricting prayers for those who died during the conflict.

“Dear Nigerian Army: This your declaration is provocative, insensitive & anti-Igbo,” Ejimakor wrote.

“It’s even funny & usurps police powers. What’s illegal about CHRISTIANS doing prayers for those who died in the unjust civil war? Would you do this to MUSLIMS? An immediate retraction is warranted,” he added.

The controversy followed a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, on behalf of Operation UDO KA, declaring MASSOB’s directive as illegal and capable of threatening public peace.

The Army said the order for churches to dedicate May 30 services to prayers for an estimated three million civil war victims was unacceptable and must be disregarded.

“Any individual or group that disrupts public peace or religious activities will face the full weight of the law,” the statement read.

The military maintained that while it recognises the sacrifices of civil war victims, remembrance activities must be conducted within officially recognised national frameworks.

It urged clerics, youths and citizens to avoid activities that could be seen as provocative or capable of disturbing public order.

The development has sparked mixed reactions across the South-East, with some legal and civil society groups insisting that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and peaceful assembly.

Meanwhile, security presence was reported in parts of the region on Saturday as residents observed Biafra Remembrance Day amid heightened tension and differing interpretations of the military directive.