ENUGU —Following the Nigerian Army denial
that it did not kill 11 members the Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOB, during the group’s rally
in support of US President, Donald Trump, on
January 20, 2017, IPOB has asked the army
to wait for them at the International Criminal
Court, ICC, in The Hague.
IPOB also accused the army of alternating
between calling its outing in Port Harcourt a
“protest” and a “rally” at the same time.
The group, therefore, said it was only a liar
that could describe a rally as a protest, saying
that “the Nigerian Army has been caught in
another web of lies.”
Deputy Director of Army Public Relations of 6
Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt,
Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, had in a statement
denied killing of IPOB members and labelled
the group as a “criminal gang.”
But IPOB spokesmen, Mr Emma Nmezu, and
Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya, in their
reply to the Army, said it has become
customary for the army to kill IPOB members
and deny it.
“This is not the first, neither is it going to be
the last time that the Nigerian Army will kill
our members and shamelessly come out to
deny it.”
IPOB gave a list of its members killed by the
Army to include IPOB massacres in Onitsha,
Aba, Port Harcourt, Nkpor, Asaba; Shiite
massacres in Kaduna and Kano, among others.
Part of the IPOB statement read:
“International human rights groups have
consistently labelled the Nigerian Army as
perennial liars incapable of ever telling the
truth when it comes to their culpability in the
mass execution of unarmed civilians.
“IPOB and those who read the haphazardly
written statements from Col. Aminu Iliyasu are
left wondering how on the one hand he stated
that IPOB conducted a rally in support of
President Trump while on the other hand, he
called it a protest.
“IPOB will like to remind this quota-system
Colonel that the General Abdulsalami
Abubakar-written Nigerian Constitution which
he referred to is very explicit on the
responsibilities of the Nigerian Armed Forces
(not just the Army alone), especially in
Section-217(2) and this does not in any way
stipulate using live ammunition on peaceful
and unarmed civilians.
“We will also like to remind Iliyasu that
security agencies, media organizations, foreign
embassies, and specifically, the Commissioner
of Police in Rivers State were all informed
ahead of time of the pro-Trump rally, through
an official letter signed by the leadership of
IPOB.
“This Colonel must understand that a rally or
even a protest is not an armed rebellion that
will warrant deployment of troops of 29
Battalion of Nigerian Army with a mandate to
fire live bullets at peaceful and unarmed
civilians.
“May we ask why the same deployment of
troops was not carried out on those who
protested against President Trump in Abuja on
the same date?
“How come troops were not deployed to shoot
and kill civilians during the recent “anti-Buhari”
protest that was led by the likes of Charles
Oputa a.k.a. Charlie Boy? Why must the
Hausa-Fulani dominated Nigerian Army and
Police regard every IPOB assembly or rally as
an opportunity to embark upon some kind of
mini Jihad designed to kill as many non-
Muslims as possible?
“IPOB is extremely pleased that what
transpired that day was captured on pictures
and videos as most of the unspeakable
atrocities of the Nigerian Army and police are.
“On his insinuation, borne out of panic, that
IPOB will post old videos and pictures from
our archives in social media, we advise the
Colonel not to worry but to leave the
authentication of the evidence we have to the
civilized panel of judges at the International
Criminal Court, ICC.”
“It is reassuring to observe that at least the
lying Nigerian Army is aware that all their
murderous outrage on January 20, 2017 were
captured on video.”
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