IPOB claims police killed 200 of its members
The Indigenous People Of Biafra
(IPOB) has released a message alleging that 200 of its members who
participated in the solidarity rally for President Donald Trump have
been abducted and presumed dead.
Pro-Biafra
agitators staged a rally celebrating the inauguration of Trump as
President of the US on Friday, January 20 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state
but it turned sour when they were confronted by security operatives.
The grouped claimed 11 of its members were killed
although this was refuted by the Rivers state police command which
explained that it has the mandate to maintain peace and that minimal
force was used and that only 53 members of the group were arrested.
However
in a statement by Emma Powerful who is the spokesperson of the group,
he said apart from the 11 that were killed, 200 more were abducted and
presumed dead.
: “We the Indigenous People of
IPOB and its leadership worldwide, wish to use this medium to correct
the erroneous impression that we carried out a protest.
“What
IPOB did on 20th of January 2017 in Igweocha Port Harcourt, Rivers
State was a peaceful rally in solidarity with the newly elected
President of the United States of America Mr. Donald J Trump, who took
oath of office in Washington D.C.
“This
solidarity rally in support of President Donald J Trump was announced
by IPOB Worldwide on the 16th day of January 2017 by our media team and
the contents of that announcement was unambiguous and could not
conceivably be misunderstood or misrepresented to mean protest as has
been erroneously reported by certain sections of the media.
“The
event was scheduled and announced as a rally and not a protest. We
would also like to place it on record that IPOB worldwide has confirmed
that more than 11 Biafrans died as a result of the unprovoked, brutal
and unwarranted military assault on our members during this peaceful
rally.
“Many more are in
hospitals receiving treatment with over 200 abducted presumed dead. It
is incumbent on the civilized world to prevail on the regime of
President Buhari to release the dead bodies and those they abducted; and
to refrain from abducting those receiving treatment in hospitals.
“IPOB Family Units, whose members are missing, are advised to forward their names to our secretariat.”
He
added that IPOB lawyers were trying to locate those taken to Bori camp
at Rumuola, the State CID, Port Harcourt and SOS Police Station at
Miniokoro off Old Aba Road and get them released.
Comments