Owerri, the capital of Imo State was yesterday shut down as economic activities and vehicular movements were crippled following the protest of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and a faction of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), against the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, Director of Radio Biafra by the Department of State Security.
IPOB protesters who stormed the Imo state capital in their hundreds as early as 6am had reportedly trekked from Aba in Abia State and Port Harcourt, and in order to beat security checks, had converged at strategic positions in the state capital from where they linked up with their members on ground to begin the protest.
In spite of the heavy security presence, including armed soldiers, mobile policemen who drove behind the protesters in their vehicles, the protesters were not deterred as they marched through major streets in the state capital, displaying the Biafra flag and placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘FG free Nnamdi Kanu now’, ‘Kanu is Biafra and we are Kanu’, ‘We need Biafra now’ , among others.
Pascal Egoigbo, National Coordinator Njemigbo, a Pro- Biafra group said, “ We mobilized our teaming members to join the protesting Biafrans, because it is non-violent and it is a noble cause. It is clear that this government is anti Igbo/Biafrans
“Looking at the pattern of the allocation of portfolios, the key ministries went to North and West. The so called South East governors should advise FG to free Nnamdi Kanu or face the on coming doom”.
Similarly, the factional MASSOB Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, said that they were participating in the protest in solidarity with IPOB because Kanu is a true BIafran.
“The protest will continue as a platform to send the massage across that we need Biafra, we are not secured in Nigeria, we are feeling that our future is secured in Nigeria. Our demonstrations shall remain non violent, today we are in Owerri and by the time we finish in the Southeast and Kanu is not released we will match to Abuja so that we can all be detained because we are ready to die for what believe in. We are tired of being slaves in Nigeria, what is happening now shows that Biafra is ready to go so let them give us Biafra and release our leader immediately”
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