CALABAR, Nigeria – The leader of the Biafra Nations League, BnL, Princewill Chimezie Richard, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government of Nigeria to release Nnamdi Kanu or face disruptions in oil exploration along the Nigeria-Cameroon maritime border.
The group has also demanded the withdrawal of military troops from the South-East region.
At a press briefing in Calabar, the Cross River Capital on Sunday, May 7, 2023, Richard called on Cameroon authorities “to desist from forcing and collecting proliferated taxes from Nigerians living in the Bakassi Peninsula.”
He stated that the ultimatum is effective from May 8, 2023, and warned, “We want to use this medium to reiterate our decisions to shut down maritime borders if our demands are not met within 14 days.”
Richard claimed that the BnL enjoys support from other groups, boasting, “We are capable of doing anything. We cannot disclose the extent of our capacity.” He added, “You should know that we command massive loyalists and followers even amongst the natives. It will be disastrous if our demands are not met.”
The BnL leader called on President Muhammadu Buhari to release Kanu before he hands over on May 29, 2023, and stop being recalcitrant by not obeying court orders.
“We are disappointed and have lost confidence in Buhari’s government,” Richard said, expressing skepticism about the incoming administration led by Bola Tinubu. “I can’t say I have confidence in Bola Ahmed Tinubu who would be replacing Buhari. I don’t even know him.”
Richard emphasized that the release of Kanu would not stop the group’s agitation for Biafra sovereignty, stating, “We are demanding for safety and freedom from Nigeria. We have never believed in Nigeria.”
He also stressed that the BnL is not alone in this struggle, and warned that there would be no negotiation about Biafra.
The group cautioned the Nigerian authorities not to force them to take the law into their own hands, but rather to comply with their demands within the given timeframe.
