The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday, raised the alarm that soldiers from invaded the venue of their meeting at Okwe Primary School, Oshimili North local government area of Delta state, at about 5.30 pm, and opened fire on their members, killing five people and injuring over 20.
In a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Mr. Emma Powerful, IPOB alleged that some Hausa-Fulani people living in Okwe had informed their brothers in the army that IPOB members were having a meeting in Okwe Primary School and the military officers quickly invaded the place and opened fire on them without interrogating anybody.
“This is another senseless massacre of our members. Does it mean that we do not have freedom to meet and interact with our members? Will the military say we were demonstrating? Did anybody complain that the IPOB members having the meeting were disturbing the peace of the public?
“Organizations and community unions have meetings on Sundays. Why will IPOB members, having a meeting in a public school, be shot? If it is a secret meeting that is aimed at achieving an evil plan, it would have been in a secret place, not in an open compound like a primary school,” the IPOB spokesman said in the statement.
The group vowed that it will never accept the incident, stating: “We must know who the Hausa-Fulani people that gave the information to their military brothers are and who they are working for and what is their motive for giving such information. They must tell us how many times they have been shot by the military while they were having their meetings.
“This is another senseless military massacre that we will not accept. We must never take that. Somebody must pay for this. We will never allow this one go unpunished. We have taken too much of these military senseless massacres.
“We will know if it is only the Hausa-Fulani that are in Nigeria and whether they are the only people that will live in this country. We will know whether they are the only people that will live, meet and move freely in Nigeria. We will see to the end of this idiotic massacre. This country does not belong to Hausa-Fulani people only.
“It is time they pay with their own blood, we have warned that nobody should provoke us to carry arms but it seems the time is ripe for that now. We must defend ourselves.”
The Delta state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Andrew Aniamaka, said there was an altercation between some soldiers and Biafra militants, who tried to dispossess a soldier of his rifle at Okwe Central Primary School. Aniamaka claimed that one of the Biafran militants was killed during an exchange of fire with the soldiers who came to rescue their colleague.
Meanwhile, disturbed by the incessant killings of Biafrans and pro-Biafran agitators by security agents, Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen, the Biafra National Guard (BNG) has declared self-defense urging all the indigenous people, citizens of Biafra to defend and protect their lives and properties.
The group called on the people of the region to use everything in their powers to defend their lives from all the enemies’ aggression and invasion based on the United Nations Charter of Article 51 that supports the rights of self defence for indigenous people.
In a press release signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of BNG, Mr. Ruben Okoro, alleged that since 1999 when Chief Uwazuruike started the struggle till date over 20, 000 Biafra freedom fighters have been killed by the security agents.
He noted that since leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was arrested in 2015, over 3000 members have been killed and many remanded in prisons, saying that “death to any pro-Biafra agitators, is a death to all of us”.
According to Okoro, “We have implemented all the guidelines from the United Nations, Organization of Emerging African State, African Union and European Union parliament. We have devised peaceful approach and methodology of our Biafra self-determination like non-violent means of general strikes, economic boycotts, work action, peaceful demonstration and rallies, law suits, civil disobedience etc in order to restore our Biafra lost sovereignty which Nigerian government neglected or rejected instead, they kill or arrest and dump us in prisons everyday”.
“Apart from 21 Biafra agitators they detained for the past 10 years in Onitsha and Awka prisons without trial since 2007 whom we are calling for their discharge and acquittal and others who have been in detention across the country. Now the Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen are still killing our Biafran peoples, destroy our farmland, rape our women and girls at Enugu and Delta states without arresting and prosecuting the culprits” he stated.
“From today henceforth since we all Biafran citizens are not protected. We have no other options than to defend ourselves. We BNG officers have urged you all Biafrans to rise up and exercise, utilize and implement this our global and international rights of self defense to defend ourselves now by any means at your reach because nobody is monopoly of violent. Biafrans self defence will not push you to look for trouble, Nigerians; self defence does not mean that we the peace loving Biafrans are looking for another civil war rather it’s our means of fulfilling and implementing Biafran adage of ‘live and let live” Okoro declared.
He continued: “So, let you all Biafran farmers, defend yourselves and all your farmlands, you all Biafran traders, defend yourselves and all your markets, you all Biafran pastors, defend all your people in the churches, you all Biafran freedom fighters, come together in unity of purpose in coalition and in alliance be your brothers keeper and defend yourselves, you Biafran military and paramilitary and lawmakers that are still serving Nigerian government, defend yourselves. So Biafrans everywhere please defend your lives and properties” he stated.
