IPOB Accuses Security Of Killing 11, Injuring 27 At Port Harcourt Trump Rally

Awka – The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that its members were killed in Friday’s Trump mega rally which was held in Port Harcourt.

The group had planned the rally as part of solidarity for America’s new President, Donald Trump, whose inauguration took place yesterday.

IPOB had written the security agencies for permission to hold the rally and also sent an invitation for them to observe the rally.

But yesterday as the rally was barely over, the group’s media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, issued a statement in which he accused security agencies of attacking the IPOB members resulting in the death of no fewer than 11 people and several others injured.

The statement reads in part” “Nigeria security agencies more especially DSS and the soldiers killed about 11 people, left 27 people with bullets wounds and 57 people arrested because we are supporting the newly elected President of United States of America Mr. Donald J Trump and his administration”.

It also claimed that the dead bodies of those killed were removed by the Nigerian soldiers and asked the international community to urge Nigerian soldiers to bring back the dead bodies.

It said: “The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide and its leadership condemn the barbaric killing of unarmed peaceful Biafran protesters today being 20th January 2017 in solidarity with the new American president Mr. Donald J Trump.

IPOB said that even as the rally was going on “right now, we are being chased by the Nigeria security agencies and they are going round looking and arresting anybody suspected to be IPOB members”.

Meanwhile, it said that it got invitation by the inauguration committee to witness the swearing in of the United State President-elect, Mr. Donald Trump inauguration as Obama’s presidency ends on 20th of January 2017.

It claimed the invitation came following the much publicised rally in Igweocha (Port Harcourt) in solidarity with Mr. Donald Trump who will take over the seat of power in the oval office white house today.

Accordingly, it continued, “the IPOB Deputy National Representative for the Eastern Area USA, Mazi Chinedum Obih, alias Onwuatuegwu represented the Nation of Biafra at the historic event in Washington D.C USA today”.

It regretted that the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, would have been there in person to witness the inauguration but unfortunately, he is still being held illegally in detention by the Nigerian government.

It will be recalled that IPOB released copies of two letters it wrote to Rivers State Commissioner of Police and copied to the Inspector-General and ten others for permission to hold the rally.

It said the purpose of the rally was to “demonstrate the acceptance of pragmatic and robust democracy within its fold and to encourage justice anywhere they find it”.

The second letter was an invitation to the security agencies to witness a peaceful rally it intended to hold to demonstrate how peacefully the group can organize their rallies.