 As Okonkwo's administration continued to lose the support of the Mid-Western Region's populace, they became desperate.On 19 September 1967, the Biafrans rebranded the region by proclaiming the Republic of Benin, an independent state separate from Biafra, as a last-ditch effort.It was believed that even if it could not win non-Igbo support, the new state might at least physically divide Biafra from the Nigerian federal forces.