ASABA-PROTESTERS, Tuesday, stormed the entrance of Delta State Government House, Asaba condemning the arrest and detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. Gathered under the aegis of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Delta State chapter, the protesters, mainly women, demanded the immediate release of Kanu, describing his arrest as uncalled for and totally unacceptable. Chanting songs of grievances and displaying placards which bore various inscriptions such as “Freedom for Biafra, free Nnamdi Kanu”, “We are not terrorists, we are freedom fighters”,
“We are tired of intimidation and harassment by Nigeria Government”, “Biafra on the move” amongst others, the protesters said they were no longer comfortable with the Nigerian government.
Speaking during the protest, Secretary of IPOB, Delta State chapter Nnenna Nwaoha, said: “The reason for the protest is for Nnamdi Kanu to be released; we have suffered enough in the hands of the Nigerian government and we are no more comfortable with it.
“We want our freedom that is why we are here. We are not comfortable with the Nigerian government, the intimidation, killing and all that; that is why we want our freedom. We feel very bad about his detention and it is affecting each and every one of us. We are not comfortable, we want to go.
“The federal government should release our Director, Dr. Nnamdi Kanu and we also want our freedom. As a nation that is due for freedom, we want to go; we are tired; the suffering is too much; it is not a crime to want our freedom; we want to go.”
Also speaking, Chineye Udeoba expressed bitterness at the detention of Kanu, saying “we are bitter and we are giving them a strict warning and order to release him.
“We are not Nigerians, we are Biafrans. My father is seventy-two years old and he is older than Nigeria. He is a Biafrian, I am a Biafran and we all here are Biafrans. We the indigenous people of Biafra are ready to go. We want to be on our own.
“The British came and amalgamated us with these Oduduwa and Arewa people, we are not one; we were never one, we are totally different in terms of tradition; we are Biafrans. We want to be on our own as indigenous people of Biafra. We want our freedom.
On her part, Mrs. Judith Ihebiehi said: “This man is our voice, he is our mentor.
We have been in darkness all these while, so this man has been speaking for us, so the Nigerian government has no right to detain him; he has done nothing.
“Have they ever asked themselves if what this man has been saying is false? Have they bothered to verify what Nnamdi Kanu has been saying? So detaining Nnamdi Kanu will bring problems; we have been calming our husbands down, we have been saying ‘wait’ we women will go to the government, we will talk to them and say this is what we want; we don’t want problem that is why we are here.
“Our reason of coming here is to tell the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to help us take our message to the federal government. He is not the one detaining him but we are here to tell him to take it to Abuja.” The protesters were however, denied entry into the Government House by police officers
By Festus Ahon & Ochuko Akuopha
PORT HARCOURT – Supporters of the Radio Biafra broadcaster, under the umbrella the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, resident in Rivers State have stormed the city of Port Harcourt with a heavy protest demanding the unconditional release of their leader and presenter, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
The protesters numbering over 5000 who were split into seven groups appeared peaceful, although, chanting war songs also called for the creation of the sovereign state of Biafra.
The agitators, mainly business men and women of Igbo extraction, said it was an act of impunity for the federal government to apprehend a man who is championing the cause of his people.
The IPOB supporters claimed that they were not part of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, adding that the IPOB is fighting true course for the emancipation of the Biafrans.
Speaking, one of the coordinators of IPOB, Mr. Chidiebre Aguodu said, “The reason for this protest is that our able chairman, the father and founder of IPOB worldwide has been held by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“We need him to be released to us unconditionally. The protest for now is peaceful, but we need Biafra and we need freedom.
“We are armless, we have not harmed anybody and we owe nobody any apology for what we are doing, as Biafrans we stand for justice and justice will reign.
“Now our director has been held for days and we want him out and we want freedom in Biafra land.
I advice the country to allow Biafrans go because the marriage has lasted for 101 years and there was no demonstration and the battle lasted for 40 years and we have won three times, all we want now is freedom because we are tired of the marriage. Let Nigerians be Nigerians and Biafrans want to be Biafrans.
Similarly, Mr. Harrison Onyema said, “We want secession or we are ready to burn down the whole country. We will continue this disturb in all the Biafran States until justice is made to our demand for secession.
Harrison claimed, “Here is not called Port Harcourt it is called Igwuocha, a city in Biafran Nation. No Biafra, No peace.” He said
Later at the pick of the protest shooting from some security operatives caused scare around mile one axis of Port Harcourt.
The shooting started when some of the protesters invaded the Zenith Bank in Ikwere road and brought down a Nigerian flag hung in the bank premises.
This made some security operatives attached to the bank to start shooting into the air to scare off the ragging protesters.
-Vanguard
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