Leaders of Yoruba and Igbo self-determination movements have formally entered into a joint alliance, calling for the peaceful de-amalgamation of Nigeria and international recognition for the proposed Biafra and Oduduwa nations.
The alliance was announced under the banner of the Coalition to De-Amalgamate Nigeria for Security (CODES), a platform bringing together indigenous civil forces and ethnic nationalities who argue that Nigeria’s current structure has become unsustainable due to worsening insecurity, deep mistrust and unresolved historical grievances.
The declaration was made on Friday in a communique issued at the end of a world conference and international press briefing held via Zoom. In the communique, the coalition said Nigeria now survives “not on truth, justice or consent, but on systemic denial and institutionalised falsehood,” while failing to protect lives amid widespread violence and humanitarian distress.
CODES insisted that peaceful self-determination represents the only viable path to security, justice and lasting peace, stressing that its movement is lawful, non-violent and rooted in international legal principles.
Signatories to the communique include Prof Banji Akintoye, leader of the Oduduwa Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Movement; Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho and 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 movement in the Diaspora.
From the Igbo side, the document was signed by Mazi Tony Nwisi, chairman of the Igbo Global Network IPOB, alongside Mazi Emmanuel Kanu, Mazi Ositadimma Igenu and Prof Chinedu Agbodike, all acting under the CODES platform.
Addressing the international media, the coalition described the alliance as a historic, moral and security imperative, rejecting claims of extremism or violence. According to CODES, the collaboration reflects deep exhaustion with insecurity and dishonesty, and a lawful insistence on dignity, safety and political consent.
The coalition said the De-Amalgamation Congress remains open to all indigenous nations within Nigeria and represents a legitimate exercise of the right to self-determination. It accused successive governments of concealing mass atrocities and misleading both citizens and the international community, arguing that a culture of deception has eroded accountability and moral legitimacy.
Tracing Nigeria’s instability to the 1914 colonial amalgamation and years of post-colonial centralisation, CODES maintained that the country was formed without the consent of its constituent peoples and has since entrenched unequal power relations. It argued that decades of corruption, political exclusion and insecurity have left many communities with little or no confidence in the federal system.
The communique highlighted persistent violence in the Middle Belt, South-East and other regions, alleging state complicity or inaction in attacks by armed groups. It described the situation as an existential security crisis marked by terrorism, displacement and selective justice.
CODES also condemned what it called the persecution of peaceful self-determination advocates, noting that while violent actors often go unpunished, figures such as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Chief Sunday Igboho face sustained state pursuit. The coalition said this selective application of the law has further destroyed public trust.
Invoking the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the group insisted that its demands are lawful under international law. It warned that failure to address Nigeria’s internal contradictions could lead to a wider humanitarian and migration crisis with global implications.
Among its demands, CODES called for international recognition of the Biafra and Oduduwa nations, the immediate release of detainees held solely for self-determination advocacy, an end to the pursuit of Chief Sunday Igboho, and UN-recognised referendums for indigenous nations seeking self-rule. It also urged international investigations into mass killings and alleged state complicity, as well as protection for vulnerable communities.
The coalition concluded by stressing that the Biafra Oduduwa alliance is not a declaration of war but a declaration of truth, dignity and peaceful intent, insisting that forced unity, silence and repression have failed, leaving self-determination as the remaining path to lasting peace, stability and regional security.
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