The
Indigenous People of Biafra on Saturday dismissed a claim by the Nigeria Police
Force that only one person died during its rally for the inauguration of US
President Donald Trump in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a
statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, the group said 11 of its members
were killed.
IPOB also
said 200 of its members went missing after the rally, even as the police has
said it arrested only 65 protesters.
The group
also noted that it embarked on a rally not a protest as the police had
portrayed it.
The
statement read in part, “We, the Indigenous People of Biafra (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.
“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.”
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