ABSTRACT
Since their independence in the 1960s, most African countries have been confronted by separatist movements and violent pressure groups that have threatened their corporate existence. These separatist and pressure groups often use the media to exert their weight in the political life of their respective countries of origin as well as to draw the international community's attention to both their cause and plight. A recent trend has been that these groups (separatist movements in particular) leverage the Internet and social media to win the sympathy and support of the international community. In response, African governments have deployed aggressive online counter-strategies to generate noise and asphyxiate separatist and anti-government Internet-based propaganda. This dynamic has made the cyber space to be redefined not only as a flexible public discursive space but also as a battle ground where both separatist/anti-government movements and nationalist philosophies are seriously in strife. This chapter seeks to illustrate the above-mentioned situation in the light of Nigeria's Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Based on secondary sources and critical observations, this chapter explores how IPOB leveraged social media in particular and the Internet in general in their agitation for self-determination and how the Nigerian government or pro-government entities reacted to IPOB's online activism.
