International Law and Self-Determination: The Igbo Question and the Legal Framework for Secessionist Claims in Nigeria

This paper examines the right to self-determination under international law and its application to secessionist agitation in Nigeria, with particular focus on movements among Igbo communities in the South East geopolitical zone. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and related groups have invoked the principle of self-determination, as enshrined in the UN Charter, the International Covenants on Human Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, to advocate for an independent Biafran state. Using a doctrinal research methodology, the study analyses the conditions under which international law recognises a right to external self-determination and distinguishes this from internal self-determination within an existing state. It critically evaluates the legal arguments advanced by secessionist movements and compares the Nigerian case with international precedents including Kosovo, South Sudan, and Catalonia. The paper also examines the Nigerian government's legal and security responses to secessionist advocacy, including the proscription of IPOB and related prosecutions. Findings indicate that under current international law, there is no legally recognised right to unilateral secession for the Igbo outside extreme circumstances of colonial domination or systematic denial of political participation. The study argues that the more productive legal pathway lies in securing meaningful devolution of power and protection of minority rights within the Nigerian constitutional framework. Keywords: self-determination, IPOB, Biafra, international law, Nigeria.