20/09/2026
Biafra Restoration: Gentle De Yahoo; Hero or Criminal?
(TTVB Commentary Series)
The ₦30 million bounty recently placed by the Nigerian Army on Ifeanyi Eze Okorienta, popularly known as “Gentle De Yahoo,” has reopened a much deeper question in the South-East: is he simply a criminal, or do some people see him as a product of a much longer political and security crisis? The Army identifies him as a wanted terror commander, while reports link him to the Biafra Liberation Army.
For some South-Easterners, the answer cannot be separated from decades of grievances: perceived marginalisation after the 1967–70 Civil War, continuing agitation for Biafra, insecurity, alleged disappearances and abuses, and fears over kidnappings and attacks by armed groups. Amnesty International has documented serious abuses by both state and non-state actors in the region, including killings, arbitrary detention and alleged enforced disappearances.
Support for Biafra also remains a significant sentiment among many Igbos; one recent academic study using Afrobarometer data found substantial support for secession among Igbo respondents.
The detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2025 and has appealed his conviction, is another major point of contention for Biafra supporters.
Yet there is another side that must not be ignored: civilians in the South-East have also suffered from killings, kidnappings, intimidation and attacks attributed to pro-Biafra armed groups and other criminal actors.
So perhaps the real question is bigger than “Hero or Criminal?”
It is whether Nigeria can address the grievances that fuel separatist sentiment while simultaneously protecting innocent civilians from armed groups—whoever they are.
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Ako Buije Ndigbo Is A Resource Person, An Author, Rights Activist, International Affairs Commentator, And Public Opinion Analyst