Share & more
President Olusegun Obasanjo commuted to retirement on Monday the dismissal of all military persons who fought for the breakaway state of Biafra during Nigeria’s 1967-1970 civil war, ‘The Guardian’ of Lagos reported.
In a state-wide broadcast to commemorate the first anniversary of the country’s return to democratic rule, he said the decision was in recognition of the fact that “justice must at all times be tempered with mercy”.
Obasanjo said: “After our civil war, we adopted a unique policy of reconciliation which demonstrated our maturity to the world and made it possible for our citizens, no matter where they stood in that war, to reassert their commitment to the fundamental ideal of unity.”
Obasanjo, the wartime commander who received the surrender of the Biafran forces three decades ago, said more acts of national reconciliation would follow.
Since the end of military rule on 29 May 1999, when Obasanjo was inaugurated, there has been a public resurgence of pro-Biafra sentiment among a section of the Igbo, who claim they have been marginalised in the Nigerian federation.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions