Around 20 Biafrans protested in Valletta this morning, trying to raise awareness on their territorial claims in Nigeria.

Gubernatorial elections are held in the coming days and the protesters, who currently live in Malta, claimed their people were being killed by the Nigerian government.

“We feel we are the government and we want to go back where we belong,” a spokesman for the group said.

President Muhammadu Buhari visited southeast Nigeria this week, his first trip since taking office to the region formerly known as Biafra.

Calls for secession have become increasingly loud in the last few months in parts of the southeast, where the president is deeply unpopular, prompting Buhari to say he would not allow Nigeria to be divided by separatist groups.

A million people died in a 1967-70 civil war over the short-lived Republic of Biafra. Buhari, a 74-year-old former military ruler who took office in May 2015, fought in the war as a young soldier on the government side.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari receives honours during a tour of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Photo: Via ReutersNigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari receives honours during a tour of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Photo: Via Reuters

Tensions in the region rose following the release on bail of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the region's best known secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The government designated the group as a terrorist organisation in September, and deployed troops to the region to crack down on secessionists.

Kanu, who was on bail after being charged with treason, has not been seen since September 14, when IPOB says his home was raided by soldiers. The military has denied raiding Kanu's home and has said it is not holding him.

"We are yet to know our leader's whereabouts or that of his parents. (Buhari) is not the type of person any governor should be welcoming to their land," said an IPOB spokesman in a statement that urged the president to "stay away".

A Nigerian minister in September said secessionists in the southeast were sponsored by the government's political opponents.

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