Army, Amnesty International, Trade Words Over Alleged Killing Of 150 Pro-Biafra Activists

Amnesty International, yesterday, came out with a report stating that the Nigerian security forces led by the military, embarked on a chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions and violence resulting in the deaths of at least 150 peaceful pro-Biafra protesters in the South Eastern part of the country.

Attributing their findings to an indepth investigation it carried out, the international body stated that analysis of 87 videos, 122 photographs and 146 eyewitness testimonies relating to demonstrations and other gatherings between August 2015 and August 2016, consistently showed that the military fired live ammunition with little or no warning to disperse crowds. It also finds evidence of mass extrajudicial executions by security forces, including at least 60 people shot dead in the space of two days in connection with events to mark Biafra Remembrance Day.

“This deadly repression of pro-Biafra activists is further stoking tensions in the South East of Nigeria. This reckless and trigger-happy approach to crowd control has caused at least 150 deaths and we fear the actual total might be far higher. The Nigerian government’s decision to send in the military to respond to pro-Biafra events seems to be in large part to blame for this excessive bloodshed. The authorities must immediately launch an impartial investigation and bring the perpetrators to book,” said Makmid Kamara, Interim Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Read More:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/army-amnesty-international-trade-words-over-alleged-killing-of-150-pro-biafra-activists/

Nigerian Army Replies Amnesty International On Pro-Biafra Killings

The Nigerian Army has rejected a report by Amnesty International on Friday accusing Nigerian troops of killing at least 17 unarmed pro-Biafra supporters in south eastern states.

Amnesty International said it conducted extensive research on the attacks and could confirm 17 killings, but said the number could be as high as 50.

In a statement following the report, H.A. Gambo, a colonel and deputy director, Army Public Relations, accused Amnesty International of not verifying its claims and seeking to discredit the Nigerian Army.

“The attention of 82 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to insinuations of misdeed being leveled by Amnesty International against security forces during the MASSOB/IPOB violent protests in Onitsha and environs on 31 May 2016. Accordingly, it is deemed imperative for the wrong and misleading impressions with which the public is being fed to be corrected once and for all,” the statement said.

“The synopsis of occurrence on that fateful day is that elements of MASSOB/IPOB engaged in violent protests which were featured with outright disregard for law and order. In the scenario of anarchy that ensued, the pro-Biafran protesters who had chosen the day to mark the 50th Anniversary of Biafra perpetrated a number of unimaginable atrocities to unhinge the reign of peace, security and stability in several parts of Anambra State.

“A number of persons from the settler communities that hailed from other parts of the country were selected for attack, killed and burnt. 2 personnel of the Nigeria Police were killed, several soldiers were wounded, a Nigeria Police vehicle was completely burnt down while another of the Nigerian Army was vandalized.

“The strategic Niger Bridge at Onitsha was at the verge of being captured particularly with the coordinated reinforcement of the violent protesters from the Asaba end of the Bridge. In addition, wanton destruction of lives and properties were brazenly carried out by the protesters who employed firearms, crude weapons as well as other volatile cocktails such as acid and dynamites. In consequence, law, order and security were grossly threatened across the State and beyond.

“The Nigerian Army in synergy with other security agencies under its constitutional mandates for Military Aid to Civil Authority (MACA) and Military Aid to Civil Power (MACP) acted responsively in order to de-escalate the deteriorating security scenario in-situ. Instructively, the military and other security agencies exercised maximum restraints against the odds of provocative and inexplicable violence that were employed against them by the pro-Biafran protesters.

“The military and of course the other security agencies acted professionally within the extant Rules of Engagement to successful de-escalate the budding anarchy in-situ. It is rather inconceivable for any individual or group to have decided to inundate the general public with an anecdote of unverified narratives in order to discredit the Nigerian Army in the course of carrying out its constitutional duties despite the inexplicable premeditated and unprovoked attacks in the hands of the violent pro-Biafran mob.”

Credit: PremiumTimes

Conflicting Death Figures Trail Pro-Biafra Police Clash

Conflicting death toll trails the violence that erupted after pro-Biafra protesters clashed with security operatives at the bridge head axis of Onitsha, Anambra State.

Some accounts say between nine and thirteen people died in the protest, the Nigerian police say only one person, a policeman lost his life in the clash.

Other accounts allege that the JTF comprising the Army, Navy, Police and Civil Defence troops opened fire at protesting members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra, (IPOB), and Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB) which killed about nine people and injured 18.

Traffic flow has however resumed after over twelve hours gridlock occasioned by agitating members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB).

Credit: ChannelsTV

IGP Issues Strict Warning To Pro Biafra Protesters

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase has issued a stern warning to MASSOB and IPOB activists to stop threatening public peace or face the full weight of the law. The warning followed the observation by the Nigeria Police Force leadership of the increasing resort to acts of brigandage by sets of misguided individuals who apparently are hiding under the cloak of Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to threaten national security and public peace in parts of South East geopolitical Zone and some other conterminous States.

“The latest manifestation of this threat is the attempt to blockade the Onitsha end of Niger Bridge on 1st December, 2015, an action that caused major hardship to innocent and law abiding motorists, and citizens. The act also occasioned serious dislocation of business activities.

“The Inspector-General of Police notes that the increasing resort to acts of brigandage of this nature is pointing to a clear attempt by the brains behind these protests to test the will of security agencies to restore order and guarantee internal cohesion.

“For the avoidance of doubts, the IGP further notes, the restoration and maintenance of law and public order, and protection of lives and property remain sacred and statutory Mandate of the Nigeria Police. This Mandate, according to him, shall be fully executed in the overriding interests of the nation and vast majority of citizens and residents of the South East geopolitical Zone.

“Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police has directed the mobilisation and deployment of Police Mobile Force (PMF) across the country to reinforce security in the State Commands that MASSOB and IPOB are currently attempting to utilise as launching pad for their sinister intentions.

“The Assistant Inspectors – General of Police Zone 5, (Benin); Zone 6, (Calabar) and Zone 9 (Umuahia) as well as all Commissioners of Police in the affected States in the South East and neigbouring States have also been directed to henceforth maximally exercise their statutory Mandate in relation to prevention and disruption of any gathering that threatens public order and national cohesion.

“Any person or group of persons so arrested in furtherance to the enforcement of this order will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

To this end, the Inspector-General of Police advises parents and guardians to call their children and wards to order as the patience of the Force is being stretched to the limit. He firmly affirmed that no individual or group interest can override the interest of the nation and that democratic values provide for exploration of rule of law to advance any concern, not the resort to endless and misguided acts of brigandage, unless there is an ulterior motive as the extant instance tends to dictate.

“He concluded by asserting that the Nigeria Police Force will not fold its law enforcement arms to allow few misguided elements to continually force hardships on fellow Nigerians either in the South East or any other part of the nation for that matter.

Ag. ACP OLABISI KOLAWOLE
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA

Normalcy Returns To Anambra As Pro-Biafra Protesters Leave Scene

The pro-Biafra protesters who blocked the Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge in Anambra State have left the scene.

According to our reporter, some level of normalcy is returning as the road is now open.

The protesters numbering over 100 took over the entire road for over ten hours forcing travellers and motorists to remain on one spot.

According to an eyewitness, the protesters who were agitating for the release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, have shown no sign of ending the siege.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Stop Your Protests, Embrace Dialogue – Abia Government Begs Pro-Biafra Groups

The Abia State Government has called on pro-Biafra groups, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement For the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) to discontinue their protest as their message has been well communicated and their voices heard nationally and internationally.

 

The Government said the pro-Biafra groups have made their statement also calling for the release of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

 

The government, in a statement signed by Godwin Adindu, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, asked the group to give peace a chance and wait for reaction of the government.
The call by government is sequel to the peaceful protest by the group in Umuahia, the state capital today which was well checked by law enforcement agencies.

 

It observed that though the protest has been largely peaceful in Abia State without any incident of violence, it actually disturbed the socio-economic life of the state, hence the need for the pro-Biafra groups to change strategy from street marches to peaceful negotiation with the Federal Government.

 

The government also noted that the entire South East cannot afford another militancy and therefore urged the groups to discontinue their street marches before the situation is hijacked by troublemakers and detractors of government.

 

Abia government also commended the security agencies for the high professionalism they exhibited in handling the protest in Abia State.
The government further stated that it will continue to guarantee the freedom of association and expression by persons and groups so long as they operate within the ambit of the law and therefore appealed to the pro-Biafra groups not to conduct themselves in a manner that could lead to the breach of peace.

 

Credit : Daily Post

Pro-Biafra Activists Continue Protests In Aba

Worried by spate of protests by pro-Biafra groups, seeking self determination for the people of South East and their neighbours, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha yesterday said he had taken steps to arrange a meeting of governors and chieftains of the Ohaneze Ndigbo “to discuss the matter.”

The move came on the heels of continued protest by pro-Biafra activists under the aegis of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba. The groups had staged a miniature rally on Saturday to protest the continued detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, by the Federal Government.

Credit: Guardian

Police Disperse Pro-Biafra Agitators In Asaba

The Police in Delta on Friday used teargas to disperse dozens of pro-Biafra agitators who staged a protest rally in Asaba.

The protesters said they were in solidarity with the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Some members of the group were arrested for blocking the Asaba-Benin expressway.

They chanted songs calling for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Biafran group.

However, a police source said the arrested members were later released following “an order from above”.

Members of the group had poured into the Asaba-Benin expressway, blocking a large portion of the ever-busy road, from Summit Junction to Coker Junction axis in Asaba.

The group held up vehicular movement on the road for hours, forcing many transporters to make a U-turn, diverting into Asaba main town, thereby causing a major gridlock.

However, police patrol teams from the Delta Police Command confronted the protesters, using tear gas to disperse them.

One of the protesters, Uche Obiakor, said the police intervention in the rally was injustice to the group, saying that members of IPOB were on a peaceful rally.

Credit: PremiumTimes