SAN FRANCISCO, December 18, (THEWILL) – About five members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, celebrating the Federal High Court’s order for the unconditional release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, were reportedly killed by soldiers attached to the 302 Artillery Regiment in the commercial town, in an impasse that injured 25 others.
It was gathered that the incident occurred as the jubilant IPOB members proceeded towards the Onitsha Bridge Head, but were halted by the military joint task force who erroneously thought they had trooped out to resume their protest against the detention of the operator of Radio Biafra, Kanu
An eyewitness, Festus Uyanna told journalists that the insistence of the IPOB members to converge on the Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu gate-way resulted to sporadic shooting during which the task force overpowered them.
His words, “Trouble started when the IPOB members were asked to stop their march toward the Bridge Head, but the group bluntly refused,” he said.
“It was at this juncture that the soldiers started shooting sporadically to scare the crowd.”
Other sources recount that while the shooting lasted, people ran for dear lives but some IPOB members who mustered the courage threw pebbles at the soldiers who retaliated by shooting at the defenseless people.
Disclosing that he rushed some injured IPOB members to the hospital, the South-east Coordinator of Campaign for Democracy, Uzor Uzor said: “I have been here since I heard of the shooting. They were unarmed and wanted to converge at the Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu Gate-way when they were asked to turn back but they refused.
“As I am talking to you, five of them are lying dead in various hospitals and we have been following up about 15 others in critical conditions.”
Reacting to the fracas, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Anambra State police Command, Philip Ezekiel, confirmed that there were deaths from the incident but that he could ascertain the number, but noted that the IPOB members wanted to subdue the task force and take over the Bridge Head but were over-powered by the troops.
According to him, “Yes, Onitsha was in crisis in the early part of today, IPOB members attacked the solders at the Bridge Head but they were over-powered.
“There were deaths but I cannot confirm that now because they are not under me but everything is normal now.”
The development resulted heavy traffic gridlock on major roads in the commercial city, while commercial activities were ground to a halt. Ezekiel however quick to state that normalcy had been restored as both human and vehicular traffic is going on seamlessly.
He told members of the public to continue going about their legitimate engagements as policemen were on ground to ensure their security.
