Police Arrest 45 IPOB Protesters In Solidarity For Trump Swearing-In

The accused, who were ar­raigned by the state Commission­er of Police, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and treason in two courtrooms.

A Chief Magistrate court sit­ting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has remanded in prison custody, 45 persons who were arrested by the police during a peaceful rally of the Indigenous Peoples of Bia­fra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in sol­idarity with the inauguration of new United States President Don­ald Trump.

While 38 of them were ar­raigned before Chief Magistrate Sokari D. Andrew-Jaja of Court 5, seven are being tried by Chief Magistrate A. O. Amadi-Nna of Court 7.

The arraignment of the ac­cused at 4pm and trial lasted for over two hours, and attracted hun­dreds of Biafra agitators.

In Magistrate Court 5, the lead counsel to the accused, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, orally filed an application for bail for his clients but it was re­fused following the alleged offence of treason committed by the ac­cused persons.

In his ruling, the presiding magistrate, Sokari D. Andrew-Jaja said that the accused in count one, if found guilty would be sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.

Also in count two, the magis­trate explained that if found guilty, the accused would be sentenced to life imprisonment. He therefore said that his court lacked the ju­risdiction to hear the matter.

While remanding the accused in prison custody, Andrew-Jaja, ordered that adequate treatment should be given to any of them that was injured during the protest.

He adjourned the matter till January 30, 2016 for adoption of written addresses.

Also, Chief Magistrate Amadi-Nna remanded seven persons ar­raigned before him by the Police over an alleged conspiracy and treasonable offence.

The accused, who were re­manded in prison, were said to have “conducted themselves in a manner likely to force the Pres­ident to change his measures by displaying flags and other items of the Biafra Republic with such in­tention by an act to take over the government of Nigeria by force and thereby committed an of­fence punishable under Section 41 (c) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol. II Laws of Rivers state of Nigeria, 1999.”

The matter was also adjourned till January 30 for mention.