From Nweke Nweke Awka
No fewer than 30 members of the Indigenous
> People Of Biafra, IPOB,
> and a policeman were reportedly killed yesterday in Onitsha,
> Anambra
> state, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of
> the
> declaration of a Biafra republic, (1967 to date)
>
> It was gathered also that a soldier attached to the
> Onitsha 302
> Military regiment was stabbed while the Nnewi South
> Regional
> administrator of The Movement for the Actualization of the
> Sovereign
> State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Anthony Nwodo and 14 others
> were
> arrested by the Joint Security Taskforce at Ezinifite on
> their way
> back home after observation of the celebration according to
> the Area
> Adminidtrator of the region, Sonny Chukwuebuka,
>
> Two out of the 30 members that died met their untimely death
> at the
> Niger bridge head as they were coming from Asaba,
> Delta state capital
> with others to join their AnamBra counterparts in the
> celebration.
>
> On getting to the Bridge they met a stiff resistance from
> the JTF and
> it resulted in a bloody clash and consequently a policeman
> died while
> the soldier was stabbed.
>
> Reacting, the IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful said, they
> killrd about 25
> of our armless members at Nkpor without any cause. They just
> opened
> fire on us as we are having peaceful procession”.
>
> Contrivuting, Emmanuel Omenka, the Personal Assistance to
> the MASSOB
> leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike said, “no amount of killing of
> Biafra
> agtators will deter us from fighting to actualize a
> sovereign state of
> Biafra”.
>
> According to Omenka “the celebration was a success and this
> shows that
> Biafra is strong nd firm in its determination”
>
> Also speaking, The Ogbaru Regional administrator, Mrs
> Virginia
> Ubazuonu condenmed the killing and described the celebration
> as “very
> successful”
>
> “there is no going back in actualization of a Biafra
> Republic” she stated.
>
> All the markets in Onitsha and ercirons were shut despite
> the state
> government order on the eve of the celebration that no
> market should
> be shut.
