IPOB Members Disobeys 8 Shot Dead During Protest

Pandemonium ensued in Aba as eight members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, were allegedly shot dead by the military during their peaceful protest over the continued detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, according to the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful.

Irked by the development, the IPOB,  defied directive of the Police on the ban of public protest/procession and staged a peaceful protest in Asaba, the State capital, Enugu and Abia over the continued detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr  Nnamdi Kanu by operatives of the DSS.

The protesters in Delta, who marched from Abraka Motor Park through Nnebisi Road to Okpanam Road from about 12 noon to 3:30p.m., caused serious traffic grid along Nnebisi Road as commuters, who were taking their wards from school and other road users were stranded for several hours.

The Delta State Coordinator of IPOB, Jonah Chukwuma, called on the Federal Government to immediately release Kanu and grant freedom to the Biafra people.

His words: “We are protesting for the release of our director, our leader, Nnamdi Kanu that the ‘zoo’ people are still holding. Let them release him now. Secondly, let them grant us our freedom because we cannot be slaves forever.

“We are tired of staying in this country called Nigeria; we want our own country, which is Biafra that is what we are agitating for. We are peaceful people, we are non-violent. As you can see, our rally is a peaceful one. We are protesting so that the whole world will hear our voice.”

On why they were protesting in Asaba, Chukwuma said: “We are protesting in Asaba because Asaba is part of the Biafra land. We have about 25 states that make up Biafra and as I speak to you now, the protest is going on in these states, including Abuja.”

The group also, yesterday, lashed out on the Abia State Governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and his Rivers State counterpart, Chief Nyesom Wike for their alleged directive to the security agencies in the two states not to allow them carry out their protest.

The Aba killings, according to our correspondents, were triggered off when the Uchenna Madu faction of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, clashed with a combined team of soldiers and policemen.

The pro-Biafra groups, who had ordered markets, banks, schools and other business centres to close shop in solidarity with their protest, converged at the National High School, on Port Harcourt Road, Aba, from where they attempted to march and enforce the order, but were quickly dispersed by soldiers and policemen.

The protesters later converged at the Asa Road and the Main Park area where they made bonfires and road blocks on Asa and St. Michael’s roads by Mosque and York streets, which obstructed traffic, leading to another confrontation with the security agents.

Shops including banks which had opened for business hurriedly closed their shops while the roads were deserted.

It was also observed that security was beefed up at the Ariaria Police Division to ensure that the pro-Biafra protesters did not burn the station, while soldiers were stationed at Milverton,