Biafra Cannot Be a Threat to Nigeria, Gowon Insists

Nigeria’s former head of state, Yakubu Gowon on Friday maintained that the resurgence of a group which claimed to be Pro-Biafra cannot pose a threat to the sovereignty of the country.Gowon also said the Nigerian government has behind it the memories of the 1967 civil war.The former military ruler added that what the group seeksto do is to reintroduce what had long been forgotten.According to him, “There is no threat. If there is any problem like that, just as Boko Haram, Nigeria should deal with it in a mature way. I even wish I could meet some of those young people as a soldier too. What I saw was what the late Ojukwu saw too. So, it’s not a question of hatred against any tribe, but it is about seeking the unity of Nigeria.“I hope and pray to God that it is only those few that are there and the majority of the Igbo are not with them in that group. Yes, it is a democracy and they can say their views, but let them remember that, with Biafra, it is finished.“What I saw was true and that’s what my old colleague, Ojukwu saw. It is not because of hatred and that is the reason at the end of the war, in order to make sure there was no hard feelings, that’s why we used the expression: ”˜No Victor, no vanquished.”