Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A coalition of Yoruba and Igbo self-determination groups, under the banner of the Coalition to De-amalgamate Nigeria for Security (CODES), has made a strong case for the de-amalgamation of Nigeria, arguing that the continued co-existence of the over 250 ethnic groups in the country is no longer sustainable.
The declaration was made on Friday in a communiqué at the end of a world conference and press briefing held via Zoom, during which the coalition accused the Nigerian state of surviving “not on truth, justice, or consent, but on systemic denial and institutionalised falsehood,” while failing to protect lives amid widespread violence and a humanitarian crisis.
This comes as the coalition has declared a formal alliance aimed at the peaceful dissolution of the country.
The coalition argued that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, deepening mistrust, and unresolved historical grievances make continued coexistence a tall order.
CODES, an alliance of indigenous civil forces and ethnic nationalities, declared that Nigeria’s continued existence under its current structure is unsustainable, insisting that peaceful self-determination is now the only viable path to security, justice, and lasting peace.
The communiqué was issued and signed by leading figures of the Yorùbá and Igbo self-determination movements, including Prof. Banji Akintoye, Leader of the Oduduwa (Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Movement); Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho), Leader of the Yoruba National Community Defence; Architect George Akinola, Deputy Leader of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (Homeland); and Dr. Kayode Emola, Deputy Leader of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (Diaspora).
Other signatories to the communiqué were Mazi Tony Nwisi, Chairman of the Igbo Global Network9; Mazi Emmanuel Kanu, Mazi Ositadimma Igenu, and Prof. Chinedu Agbodike, all delegates and members of IPOB, acting under the umbrella of the Coalition to De-Amalgamate Nigeria for Security (CODES).
Addressing the international media, CODES said the alliance was “a historic, moral and security imperative,” stressing that it was neither extremist nor violent. “Our collaboration reflects not extremism, but exhaustion with lies and insecurity, and a lawful insistence on dignity, safety, and political consent,” the coalition said.
It added that the De-Amalgamation Congress was open to all indigenous nations within Nigeria and constituted “a non-violent, lawful, and internationally recognised exercise of self-determination.” The coalition accused successive Nigerian governments of concealing mass atrocities and misleading both citizens and the international community.
“This culture of deception has replaced accountability and rendered the Nigerian state incapable of protecting lives or commanding moral legitimacy,” the communiqué stated, warning that insecurity had hardened into a crisis of state legitimacy in which “fear replaces citizenship.”
Tracing Nigeria’s instability to colonial amalgamation and post-colonial centralisation, CODES argued that the 1914 amalgamation was imposed without consent and entrenched an unequal power structure.
“A state founded without consent cannot indefinitely survive against consent,” the group declared, adding that decades of systemic corruption, political exclusion, and insecurity had left many communities with no confidence in the federal system.
The communiqué devoted significant attention to violence in the Middle Belt, the South-East, and other regions, alleging state complicity or inaction in the face of attacks by armed groups. “Across large swathes of Nigeria, communities have been violently uprooted from their ancestral lands, yet perpetrators are rarely prosecuted and victims are rarely resettled,” CODES said.
It described the situation as an “existential security crisis” marked by terrorism, displacement, and selective justice. CODES also condemned what it described as the persecution of peaceful self-determination advocates, adding that: “While violent actors roam free, peaceful advocates such as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Chief Sunday Igboho are pursued with extraordinary state resources,” calling this “selective application of law” a factor that has destroyed public trust in the Nigerian state.
Invoking international law, the coalition insisted that its demand was legitimate and grounded in the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“Peaceful self-determination is the only immediate, non-violent escape route from looming catastrophe,” the communiqué said, warning that a full-scale conflict in Nigeria would trigger a humanitarian and migration crisis of global proportions.
Among its formal demands, CODES called for international recognition of the Biafra and Oduduwa nations, the immediate release of all detainees held solely for self-determination advocacy, an end to the pursuit of Chief Sunday Igboho, and a UN-recognised referendum process for all indigenous nations seeking self-rule.
It also urged international investigations into mass killings and alleged state complicity, and protection for vulnerable communities.
The coalition, however, stressed that the Biafra–Oduduwa alliance was “not a declaration of war, but a declaration of truth, dignity and peaceful intent. Forced unity has failed. Silence has failed. Repression has failed. Self-determination is the only remaining path to lasting peace, stability and regional security.”
President Donald Trump’s recent interest in Nigeria’s affairs, especially the worsening insecurity and persecution of Christians, has sparked hopes of a possible peaceful dissolution of the country among some people.
