[JURIST] Ralph Uwazurike [This Day profile], the leader of a Nigerian separatist organization has been charged with treason for his role in campaigning for the creation of an independent Biafra Nation [advocacy website]. Uwazurike and six other alleged co-conspirators have denied any intention to take up arms to intimidate the Nigerian government [CIA backgrounder]. Uwazurike is the alleged leader of the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, or MASSOB, an outlawed organization that wants a separate state for the Igbo people [University of Iowa backgrounder] in the south-eastern district of Nigeria. The Igbo unsuccessfully fought a three-year civil war that ended in 1970 in an attempt to defect from the rest of Nigeria. If found guilty, Uwazurike could face the death penalty. BBC News has more.