We’ll hold police responsible for killing unarmed pro-Biafra protesters, says HURIWA By Onyedika Agbedo

• Ijaw group decries protests
• Urges govt to take action
THE Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria
(HURIWA) has said it would hold the Inspector
General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase
responsible for the killing of unarmed pro-Biafra
protesters in Onitsha.
In a statement signed jointly by the National
Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and
the National Media affairs Director, Miss Zainab
Yusuf, HURIWA said it was gravely disturbed that
the IGP could abuse his privileged position by
publicly ordering the confrontation by his armed
operatives against unarmed protesters.
They said the protesters were attacked 24 hours
after the IGP asked his armed operatives to quell
the peaceful protests by supporters of the
politically detained Director of the Europe-based
Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
According to the statement, “HURIWA has also
for the umpteenth time demanded the
unconditional release from the underground cells
of the Department for State (DSS) of Mr. Nnamdi
Kanu.”
HURIWA said it was deeply concerned that “the
Nigerian State has persistently violated and
disrespected with ignominy several orders of the
Court, which granted bail to this prisoner of
Conscience, Mr Nnamdi Kanu.
“HURIWA calls on all right-thinking Nigerians to
call on President Muhammadu Buhari to release
forthwith this prisoner of conscience, Mr. Nnamdi
Kanu.”
Onwubiko said that the group “has almost
exhausted internal mechanisms through the
Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to
initiate investigative hearings over the reported
killings by armed soldiers of unarmed civilians,
including a shoe cobbler by soldiers in Aba Abia
State.
HURIWA disclosed that it was “displeased with
the bureaucratic bottlenecks that characterised a
subsisting petition against the Army Chief,
Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai which was
submitted on behalf of the Rights group by the
Senator representing Abia North, Mr. Enyinaya
Abaribe and read on the floor of the Senate” for
over three weeks.
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG) has
urged the Federal Government to take the pro-
Biafra agitations across the South-East states
agitations seriously and initiate measures to
restore normalcy in the region.
In a statement signed by its coordinator,
Comrade Joseph Evah, the IMG yesterday
described the protests as an attempt by enemies
of progress to set Nigeria on fire.
The group noted that Boko Haram insurgents that
have taken thousands of lives and destroyed
property worth billions of naira became
sophisticated as a result of government’s failure
to address the challenge from the outset.
“We are aware that when Boko Haram elements
surfaced, the government was pretending that
they were joking. Now, the endless killings and
destructions by the group should teach us a
lesson to take the current Biafra agitations
seriously.
“This disturbance must come to an end and those
manipulating the youths to create this insecurity
in the South-East and other parts of the country
should be exposed without further delay,” the
group said.
The group condemned the map of Biafra, which
includes part of Niger Delta as its territory,
noting, “the Niger Delta region is not part of
Biafra Republic. Our identity as Niger Deltans is
non-negotiable. There is no doubt that we will
continue to maintain the usual cordial
relationship with all ethnic group throughout the
country.”
The group added: “We are aware that the apex
body in Igbo land, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has clearly
stated that Biafra is dead and buried. We are also
aware that when the former president of defunct
Biafra, the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu
Ojukwu died, he was given full military honour
by the Federal Government and when Ojukwu
was alive, he also contested for the presidency of
Nigeria which showed his faith in Nigeria
“We are also aware that Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and
Ojukwu are peaceful people. Therefore, the
current threat to peace through killing and
maiming of innocent persons is gradually leading
to ethnic and religious crisis that would, if not
checked, destabilise the country.”