Defense Headquarter Confirms Pro-Biafra Militants Hijacked Ship Over Kanu's Detention

Nigeria separatists have hijacked a merchant shipand threatened to blow it up with its foreign crew ifauthorities do not release a detained leader agitatingfor a breakaway state of Biafra, military officers saidTuesday.Maj. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, the Defense Ministryspokesman, confirmed the hijacking occurred onFriday and called it 'an act of sabotage.' He did nottell reporters the name of the ship.Abubakar spoke on Monday. Other officers onTuesday told The Associated Press that the navy is inpursuit of the captured vessel. The officers, whospoke on condition of anonymity because the issue issensitive, said the hijackers have given thegovernment 31 days to free Kanu or say they willblow up the ship along with its crew.The ultimatum was given at the weekend by a militantidentified by the nom de guerre of General Ben. Benis not a separatist but 'some Niger Delta militantshave shown interest in working with us,' said UchenaMadu, a leader of the Movement for the Actualizationof a Sovereign State of Biafra.AdvertisementThe hijacking indicates the separatists could beworking with some Niger Delta oil militants blamedfor recent bombings of oil pipelines in the oil-richsouth, escalating conflict in a country alreadyburdened by Boko Haram's deadly Islamic uprising inthe northeast and violent ethno-religiousconfrontations between farmers and herders incentral Nigeria. Africa's biggest economy and oilproducer also is battered by slashed petroleumprices.Secret police on Oct. 17 detained Nnamdi Kanu,director of banned Radio Biafra, and since haveaccused him of terrorism, sparking protests in whichpolice are accused of killing several demonstrators.Nigeria's Igbo people prosecuted a civil war to createa separate state of Biafra in the southeast that killeda million people in the 1960s. Many Igbos chargethey still suffer discrimination.https://www.today.ng/news/top-news/74349/dhq-confirms-pro-biafra-militants-hijacked-merchant-ship-over-kanus-detention
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