PHOTO: Crowd of pro Biafra protesters with flags and banners calling for independence were again attacked by Nigerian security officials on May 30.
The Nigeria’s police chief has Solomon Arase has alleged that the Biafra agitators were armed.
He accused IPOB activists of carrying out “premeditated attacks” on police officers, and said they would face justice for the killings.
He, therefore, ordered the immediate disarmament of members from a secessionist group accused of involvement in violent protests on Monday, a police statement said.
Arase has also ordered the arrest of anyone from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) found in possession of a weapon, the statement added.
The crackdown on those Biafrans came on the Biafran Remembrance Day.
It is the day Biafrans set aside to mark the day former Biafran leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, declared the Independent State of Biafra in 1967.
But pro-Biafra activists criticized the police response:
“These guys are not armed. They are peaceful protesters”, they stated.
“The Nigerian government is just trying to justify their crimes against this group by painting them black. By the way, the BBC never reported the protests.” – Gerald Onyekachi Ugwuanyi
“Biafrans are peaceful people, but Nigeria’s security agents have been infringing on our rights as indigenous people.
“They have killed Biafrans in cold blood. No matter the intimidation, Biafra must be achieved.” – Agbo Anayochukwu
“These men were unarmed. They only gathered in churches and schools to remember and pray for the souls of their departed heroes.
“Why will Nigerians always go for soft targets? They are only encouraging these men to arm themselves next time.” – Obinna Onyekwere
At least seven people were killed on Monday in the eastern Nigerian city of Asaba during clashes between pro-Biafra secessionists and security forces, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Five civilians and two police officers were killed when violence broke out at a demonstration calling for Biafran independence, according to police in Delta state.
More than a million people died in the civil war between 1967-1970.
The army had fought to prevent the east of the country breaking away to form the independent state of Biafra.
Members of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) told media that the death toll was higher than that given by police.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the other main secessionist group, also held demonstrations on Monday (30 May), the date of Biafra’ declaration of independence.
There is currently a resurgence of support for the campaign to create the breakaway state.
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