Biafra: Court Orders Kanu's Release, 5 Die as Protesters and Soldiers Clash

ANAMBRA - According to a report by The Punch, No fewer than five persons have died in Onitsha on Thursday amidst the wild jubilation that greeted the court judgment ordering the release of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Independent Peoples of Biafra and Director of Radio Biafra.

The incident, which occurred at the Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge, reportedly caused panic among motorists and commuters, who fled in different directions to safety.

The IPOB members had, on hearing the court’s verdict ordering Kanu’s release, converged on the location of the statute of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in large numbers for a procession.

Their celebration was, however, cut short following the intervention of soldiers and policemen, who arrived at the scene to put them in check.

“When the jubilant IPOB members were asked to stop their match towards the Niger Bridge, the group bluntly refused, and this triggered a disagreement between the traders and IPOB members and later degenerated into violence,” an eyewitness told one of our correspondents.

“It was at this juncture that the soldiers started shooting sporadically, probably in a bid to scare away the crowd of IPOB members, that the five IPOB members were killed by stray bullets.”

In the confusion, motorists and commuters, who could not bear the heavy gunshots, jumped out of their vehicles and ran in different directions.

“The IPOB members threw pebbles at the soldiers, who retaliated by shooting at them,” the source added.

The Chairman of Fundamental Rights League International, Mike Umezulike, condemned the alleged killing, saying the protest of the IPOB members was peaceful, wondering why the soldiers would shoot at them.

Umezulike said, “Do you know that the Naval officers at the Uga Junction always order civilians to frogmarch whenever they commit any minor offence like crossing the expressway without using the pedestrian bridge?

“Sometimes, they will order the offenders to kneel down and carry tyres up and also to climb the electric pole. This is inhuman and an act of wickedness and I believe that their commander may not know the atrocities these officers commit at Uga junction on a daily basis.”

Source: Punch Newspaper