The independence movement cites their influences for peaceful reform as "Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela" ("Biafra Case"). Their devotion to a peaceful accord between Nigeria and Biafra, creating another independent Biafran nation is largely ignored and ridiculed by the Nigerian government. The official group fighting for independence is the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), formed in 1999, and Nigerian police are cracking down on members of the group, making it even more difficult for Biafrans to fight for nationality. A June 2005 reporter notes, "Nigerian police officials declined to comment on record about MASSOB. Several described the Biafran nationalist movement as a banned organisation, but were unable to cite any law or decree banning it" ("Nigeria Cracks Down"). The reporter goes on to cite specific examples of peaceful MASSOB protesters being fired on by Nigerian troops (seven were killed), confiscation of property, and the arrest of fifty-three promoters, players, and vendors who staged a soccer game in late 2004 that supported MASSOB's fight for freedom. While many were released, a few still linger...

For a while, they faced the death penalty for acts of "treason" against the government.
The Biafrans' fight for freedom has been a long one. The Nigerian government continues to oppose any breakup of the nation, and Biafrans continue to fight for their right to be free and independent. Where this struggle will end, no one knows.

References

Author not Available. "Biafra Case." Biafraland.com. Nov. 2001. 5 Aug. 2005. http://www.biafraland.com/biafra_case_files/frame.html

Author not Available. "Nigeria Cracks Down on Biafran Movement." African Master Web. 27 June 2005. 5 Aug. 2005. http://www.africamasterweb.com/AdSense/BiafranMovementCrackDown.html

Editors. "Biafra." Wikipedia.org. 3 Aug. 2005. 5 Aug. 2005 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra