OVER 30 people were reportedly killed in Onitsha over the weekend when separatist protesters clashed with security forces during a march to celebrate Biafra Day marking the 49th anniversary of the declaration of the defunct republic.
It was on May 30, 1967, that the former governor of the old Eastern Region Lt Col Odumegwu Ojukwu declared Biafra a sovereign state, sparking off the Nigerian civil war. Of late, calls for the re-declaration of Biafra have begun following the arrest of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) leader Nnamdi Kanu by security operatives last year.
Yesterday, Ipob and members of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob) held several rallies across southeast Nigeria to mark the day, which ended up in bloody clashes. In the aftermath of the confrontations, dozens of people were left dead, including three policemen and scores of protesters.
During yesterday’s rally in Onitsha, Anambra State, a combined team of the military and police clashed with Ipob, leaving about 30 people dead and many injured. Also, over 50 members of the Biafran group were arrested by the military and taken to the 302 Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in Onitsha.
Apparently, a gun battle, which led to the killings, started when an Ipob member allegedly shot at a soldier who was patrolling where the protesters had converged to begin a procession in honour of the late Ojukwu around the Upper Iweka area of Onitsha. Ipob spokesman Emma Powerful, alleged that security operatives killed over 30 members of the group, while 50 persons were arrested and whisked to an unknown destination, adding that many others were seriously injured.
Condemning the clash, civil society organisation Campaign for Democracy, said that the killings by the security personnel were unfortunate. It said the Ipob and Massob members were harmless and only celebrating the declaration of Biafra on May 30, 1967 in memory of the late Ojukwu.
Massob leader Uchenna Madu, called on the federal government to look into the massacre with a view to arresting the situation, adding that his group was not involved in the clashes. He, however, warned that the Biafran agitators might be forced to take up arms in self-defence should the security forces continue to kill defenceless Ipob and Massob members.
Madu further said that the federal government was in negotiations with Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants while the security forces continue to fight its unarmed members. Also reacting to the mayhem that ensued in Onitsha, the Anambra State Government condemned any illegal demonstration in the state.
Comments
Post a Comment