INTERNATIONAL IGBO HEROES’ REMEMBRANCE DAY MASSACRE: BUHARI & OBIANO AT IT AGAIN!
(Onitsha Nigeria, 30th of May
2016) – Barely five hours after our latest scorecard on one year in
office of the Buhari Administration was released, torrential calls came
to us concerning the massacre of innocent and unarmed citizens in three
locations in Anambra State today. The locations are Nkpor, Ifite-Dunu,
and Nnewi. Those responsible for the latest massacre just like those of
2nd and 17th of December 2015 are members of the Anambra State Joint
Security Taskforce, constituted by Governor Willie Obiano in his
capacity as the chief security officer of Anambra State, who are
answerable to General Muhammadu Buhari in his capacity as the
commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Personnel of the Onitsha
Military Cantonment under Colonel Issah Abdullahi and the Nigeria Police
Force, Anambra State Command, under CP Hosea Karma participated in the
massacre. Also participated are reinforcement detachments from
the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu as well as personnel of
the Delta State Police Command who blocked the Abraka end of Asaba in
Delta State. They were reportedly under a firm directive from Gen
Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency; supervised by the Obiano administration
to “crush the procession at all costs”.
From detailed information available to us, 30th
of May of every year is a day set aside since 1966 as “International
Igbo Heroes’ Day Celebration” in honour of all those that died for the
cause and emancipation of Igbo Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria. The event
is also marked in over thirty countries across the world. In solidarity
with the event, all the major markets in Onitsha and environs were
closed by traders in support of the event. It was on account of this
that leading Igbo Self Determination movements including IPOB and MASSOB
designated today in Anambra State to mark it with prayer session and
observation of minutes of silence for their slain compatriots. Following
this, the leadership of IPOB worldwide wrote the commissioner of police
Anambra State Command, Mr. Hosea Karma, to notify the command of its
intention to hold prayer session near the Nkpor-Umuoji Road Government
Motor Park, in Nkpor, Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.
Following the receipt of the letter, the
commissioner of police for Anambra State, Mr. Hosea Karma, instead of
inviting the signatories to the letter or their representatives to agree
on modalities for the prayer procession to mark the International Igbo
Heroes’ Remembrance Day or alternatively respond publicly to same
concretely; the notification letter was used by the addressee to plot
violence of alarming magnitude against the unarmed and nonviolent self
determination activists; leading to massive deployment of heavy security
personnel and dead weapons. Inter-service agency meetings were further
held and strategies mapped out against the IPOB and MASSOB planned
prayer procession. The latter, banking on its notification letter, was
taken unawares and ambushed; with its innocuous letter turning into “an
invitation for state violence”.
Heavy shootings and blockades by soldiers and police started in the late night of 29th
of May 2016 during which St Edmund Catholic Church situated along
Umuoji Road were invaded by soldiers of the Onitsha Military Cantonment
in the hours of the blue law, between 1.30am and 2am, leading to opening
of fire on some IPOB and MASSOB members who arrived late night of 29th
of May and sought to catch some sleep before 12noon of today, fixed for
the prayer session and observation of minutes of silence for their
fallen heroes. The Church is a stone throw from the venue of the botched
event. Scores of others were shot and taken away by soldiers to Onitsha
Army Barracks.
Soldiers and police also blocked all major roads leading into Onitsha and environs starting from late night of 29th
of May 2016. The major roads blocked are Owerri Road, Asaba-Onitsha
Head Bridge, Onitsha-Upper Iweka, Onitsha-Nkpor Expressway, Oba-Nnewi
Road, Ojoto-Umuoji Road, Nkpor-Ogidi-Old Road, etc. Dozens of those
coming from Port Harcourt, Aba, Owerri, Enugu, Asaba, etc were arrested
late night and dumped till this moment at Onitsha Army Barracks. Some of
them were shot in the same night and killed with their corpses taken
away.
As usual, those shot, killed or wounded
were dumped in the military hilux vans and taken to Onitsha Army
Barracks. As if these were not enough, the military and police personnel
with dozens of security trucks stormed the proposed venue and opened
fire with live bullets on hundreds who had gathered for the prayer
session. The police and soldiers later went on rampage shooting
indiscriminately in all directions. Those who came through Ifite-Dunu
and Ogbunike to Nkpor were ambushed and shot at in their large numbers;
likewise those coming through Ojoto-Umuoji Road as well as those coming
through Onitsha-Owerri Road.
The soldiers and police in their hilux
vans later traced those shot dead and critically injured ones and picked
them from the scenes and headed towards the Onitsha Army Barracks. Two
eyewitnesses (one journalist and one IPOB member) told Intersociety that
they saw soldiers with three hilux vans with scores of slain citizens.
The journalist said he counted six dead bodies in a military hilux,
while the IPOB member said he saw two military hilux vans filled dead
bodies. Efforts made by sympathizers and IPOB members to take the
critically shot victims to hospital were rebuffed by soldiers and police
who got them arrested. For now, three hospitals: Nnamdi Azikiwe
Teaching Hospital, Uzondu Hospital and Multicare Hospital are said to be
treating some gun-shot victims.
The urgency of this statement is to put
the records straight and disabuse the sacred minds of Nigerians from
unpardonable and serial lies of the authorities of the Nigerian security
forces particularly the Nigerian Army who have already started dishing
out tissue of lies over the massacre. As we wait for further updates and
comprehensive compilation of casualty figures from credible independent
sources including Intersociety, we solemnly appeal to the general
public to check the whereabouts of their loved ones particularly those
who passed through the areas under reference. We are also aware that a
number of passersby, artisans and traders nearby were either shot and
wounded, or shot and killed or arrested and taken away by soldiers. For
the purpose of any information from any member of the public regarding
their missing loved ones linked to the massacre, we urge such persons to
contact the phone numbers or email addresses below.
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org, emekaumeagbalasi@yahoo.co.uk
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org, emekaumeagbalasi@yahoo.co.uk
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