Report: Biafra agitators hijack ship, demand release of Kanu

Military officers say Biafra separatists have hijacked a merchant ship and threaten to blow it up with its foreign crew if authorities do not release a detained leader agitating for their breakaway state.

Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Rabe Abubakar says the hijacking occurred on Friday, but did not tell reporters the name of the ship. Other officers say the navy is in pursuit.
There are indications the separatists in the southeast are working with some Niger Delta oil militants in southern Nigeria, escalating conflict in a country already burdened by a deadly north-eastern uprising by Boko Haram, reports The Associated Press.
Department of State Services (DSS) on October 17 detained Biafran separatist Nnamdi Kanu, accusing him of terrorism. His cause sparked a 1960s civil war that killed a million people.