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 Gen Muhammadu Buhari
in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Personnel of the Onitsha Military Cantonment under Col 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 World Wide wrote the Commissioner of
Police Anambra State Command, Mr. Hosea Karma, to notify the Command formally
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 CP, Anambra State, Mr.
Hosea Karma, instead of inviting the signatories to the letter or their
representatives to agree on modalities for the Prayer Procession 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
Mobile
Line: +2348174090052
Barr Obianuju Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of law
Program
Mobile
Line: +2348034186332
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