The protagonist of a free Biafra and leader of Biafra Independence Movement, BIM, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has passionately appealed to the United Nations, UN, to conduct a referendum with a view to determining if his people still want to remain in Nigeria or in the alternative, recognise Biafra as an independent nation.

 Uwazuruike made the appeal in a press statement, Thursday, signed on his behalf by the Director of Information, Mr. Chris Mocha and made available to Vanguard in Owerri. The BIM Leader lamented that more than two million people have been massacred between 1967, when the struggle for independence started and 2006.

“There is no doubt that if this staggering number of deaths had occurred in Europe or the United States of America, the UN would have deemed in extremely necessary and expedient to conduct a referendum to save lives and determine the way forward”, Uwazuruike reasoned. While insisting that “the referendum has become absolutely necessary”, Uwazuruike also recalled that the UN had done similar things in so many other countries. He particularly mentioned that countries like Indonesia and East Timor had theirs in May 21, 2002, Georgia and South Ossetia in November 2-13, 2006, Sudan and South Sudan in July 9, 2011.

“A referendum was similarly conducted between Britain and Scotland. Only recently too, a plebiscite was conducted June 23, 2016, in Britain to determine whether the country should remain in European Union or not. “Nigeria has committed more atrocities against a particular people than those countries where these referendums were conducted”, Uwazuruike said. He reminded the United Nations that “Ndigbo have suffered for too long, since the forceful amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates by the British Government in 1914”, Chief Uwazuruike recalled with grief.

The BIM Leader assured the UN that his people will record 100 percent vote in favour of an independent Biafra, stressing that “no true son of the area will prefer the vexatious status quo to remain”. He revealed that “Biafra has all the structures, including offices in the senatorial districts, qualified personnel, flag, currency, coat of arm, security, international passport, ministerial departments, income tax and a host of other facilities, to support a status of an independent nation”.