A coalition of Igbo women, led by the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), has urged former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon to disclose the full truth about the Aburi Accord and the true cause of the Nigerian Civil War. They say honesty is crucial for real national healing and reconciliation. The Aburi Accord, signed in January 1967 in Ghana, aimed to prevent war by agreeing on a decentralised federal system. But the federal government later ignored the agreement, triggering the Biafran War.
The IWA also defended the annual Biafra Day remembrance, stressing it honors war victims and should not be treated as rebellion. At a sit-at-home event in Umuahia, IWA President Nneka Chimezie said remembering those who died is a duty, not a crime, and called on the government to officially recognize Biafra Day as part of Nigeria’s history.
Chimezie demanded the release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, blaming ongoing insecurity in the South East on criminal groups, not IPOB. She criticized the government for failing to apologize for the misleading “Igbo coup” label on the 1966 coup, a falsehood that fueled the civil war. Citing former ruler Ibrahim Babangida’s admission of this mistake, she questioned why Nigeria can honor other national tragedies but not the Biafran War victims.
The women called on Gowon to speak openly about the Aburi Accord before he dies, saying that without truth and apology, lasting peace remains out of reach. They appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Kanu as a gesture of goodwill that could help calm the region and promote dialogue over violence.
