Dear friends and colleagues, This time last year as Muslims around the world prepared for Ramadan, we began to experience the first waves of lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic. For the Muslim community preparing for this special time it had a deep impact; reductions in family gatherings for the breaking of fast and attendance at Mosques for prayer time.
In the South East, where post-Biafran war nationalism continues to simmer, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the ‘Independent Peoples of Biafra’ movement (IPOB), announced the formation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) on 12 Dec 2020. The stated aim was to act as a regional security force to protect people against Fulani raiders. However, as IPOB is proscribed as a terrorist organisation, the Nigerian government saw the ESN as a direct threat to its authority. It deployed the army to locate and destroy ESN bases.
