Free our detained members or charge them to court, IPOB tells IGP, others

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to order the release of its members who are detained in police cells across the country or charge them to court to know their fate.

IPOB also made the same call to the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the group’s media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful.

According to the statement, some of the IPOB members sustained bullet wounds when they were having a peaceful protest that was interrupted by the security agents in Aba, Abia State some months ago.

The statement read in parts, “We the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great and indefatigable liberator Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu demand that the Nigeria Police headquarters, Army headquarters, and DSS headquarters in Abuja release unconditionally all IPOB members detained in their cells who have sustained bullet injuries or charge them to court immediately if they have case against them. Nigeria.”

“Nigeria Police, DSS, and the military deployed in Biafra land should stop the unnecessary harassment, intimidation, and indiscriminate arrest of IPOB members.

“Some IPOB members whom Nigeria Police shot from the East are detained in some secret detention cells in the northern part and across the Eastern region of Nigeria. This has been going on since March 2023, while some are still missing without a trace.”

It mentioned some of the affected members, saying, “Among the IPOB members who were abducted with bullet injuries that are either missing or in police secret cells in the North are Apkarawo Mendia, Iroabuchi Harison, Emeka Ejike, Tochukwu Eze, Imo Isaac, Onyeocha Chibuike and Christian Anobochi.”

It stated, “We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police to order the release of these men or charge them to court quickly. But if Nigeria Police have murdered them, they should release their corpses for proper burial according to Biafran traditions and customs.”

“We are calling Human Rights Organisations across the globe to verify our claims and caution the Nigerian government to stop these human rights violations against Biafrans,” it added.