Indigenous People of Biafra, popularly known as IPOB, has called on residents of the South-East region across Nigeria and supporters in the diaspora to observe May 30, 2026, as a solemn day of remembrance for victims of the Nigerian civil war, describing the occasion as “a sacred covenant between the living and the dead.”
In a statement released on Friday, May 29, 2026, by the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said the annual “Biafra Heroes Remembrance Day” was set aside to honour “millions of men, women, and children whose lives were lost during the Biafran struggle for survival.”
The group maintained that the memories of those who lost their lives during the civil war could never be erased despite what it described as continued attempts at “historical revisionism” and political silence.
“This is not merely a date on a calendar. It is a sacred covenant between the living and the dead,” Powerful stated.
“As long as there remains a single child with Biafran blood flowing through his or her veins, the memory of our fallen heroes and heroines shall never perish.”
IPOB further accused unnamed individuals and institutions of trying to suppress conversations surrounding the humanitarian crisis and atrocities witnessed during the Nigerian civil war.
“There are those who would prefer that we forget,” the group said. “There are those who wish that the mass suffering, starvation, bombardment, displacement, and deaths that occurred during the Biafran conflict should disappear from public memory.”
According to IPOB, the yearly remembrance remains important because it serves as a reminder that “an entire people once faced annihilation and yet survived.”
The separatist group also alleged that despite “powerful international interests” and forces it claimed were determined to stop the actualisation of the Biafran Nation, the people survived because “the Almighty God ordained that we should survive.”
IPOB described the Nigerian civil war as “one of the most painful chapters in modern African history,” while insisting that innocent civilians suffered the most as global political interests clashed during the conflict.
“The world witnessed immense human suffering. The world saw starving children. The world saw entire communities devastated,” IPOB added.
The group noted that renewed conversations about the origins of the war, alongside increasing calls for justice, accountability, and political restructuring in Nigeria, have made this year’s remembrance especially significant.
“Historical records, testimonies, and surviving documents continue to remind the world that the questions surrounding justice, accountability, and political restructuring remain part of the enduring conversation about Nigeria’s history,” IPOB stated.
According to the group, the remembrance exercise is not meant to be celebrated but observed as a period of mourning, gratitude and reflection.
“We remember the soldiers who stood when retreat seemed easier,” IPOB said. “We remember the scientists who created hope from scarcity.
“We remember the mothers who buried their children and continued to pray. We remember the civilians who perished in villages, towns, markets, churches, hospitals, and refugee camps.”
IPOB, acting “on behalf of its leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” also urged residents across the South-East and supporters of the movement to observe the day peacefully by staying indoors and suspending all activities on May 30.
“Let our towns be quiet. Let our roads be empty. Let our homes become places of reflection,” the statement read,” IPOB declared.
“This is not a day for celebration. It is a day for reflection. It is a day for mourning. It is a day for gratitude.”
“A people who remember their dead can never truly be defeated. We remember. We honour. We shall never forget,” the group said.
