Why did the attempt to create Biafra lead to conflict in Nigeria?

The attempt to create the independent state of Biafra led to the Nigerian Civil War primarily due to deep-seated ethnic, economic, and political tensions that had plagued Nigeria since its independence in 1960.12

The conflict was driven by several critical factors:

• Ethnic Friction: Nigeria was segmented into regions dominated by specific ethnic groups—the Hausa-Fulani in the north, the Yoruba in the west, and the Igbo in the east. Resentment toward the prosperous and educated Igbo minority in the north escalated into massacres in 1966, forcing approximately 1,000,000 Igbo to flee to the east.2314
• Political Instability: Following a series of military coups in 1966, the federal government struggled to maintain order. Attempts to centralize power were met with resistance, and failed negotiations regarding the country's constitutional future deepened the divide.23
• Secession: In May 1967, the Eastern Region’s consultative assembly authorized Odumegwu Ojukwu to declare independence as Biafra. The federal government, led by Yakubu Gowon, viewed this as an act of rebellion and refused to recognize the secession, leading to the outbreak of war in July 1967.142

The war resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, with estimates of 500,000 to 3,000,000 deaths, largely due to starvation and disease, before Biafra’s collapse in 1970.124