By Steve Oko
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Tuesday, held a peaceful rally in three South East States of Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi to mark the infamous January 20, 2017, massacre of its members and Biafra agitators by Nigerian security operatives.
IPoB members were holding a rally to mark the inauguration of President Donald Trump of the United States of America, USA, during his first tenure, when security personnel opened fire on them, killing scores of the pro-Biafra movement.
A statement issued by the IPOB Media and Publicity Directorate on Tuesday evening said the remembrance rally was very peaceful.
According to the statement, IPoB members held prayers at strategic locations in the affected states during the rally.
It also said that participants at the rally called for the release of IPoB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The statement read in part:”IPOB and the global family of Biafrans wish to inform the general public and the international community that a Trump Solidarity Rally and peaceful march was held today, 20 January, across three locations in the South-East—Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi States.
“Youths, women, and elders came out in large numbers to peacefully demonstrate in solidarity and in remembrance of our people who were brutally killed exactly nine years ago during the first inauguration of President Donald Trump, when security forces opened fire on unarmed Biafran demonstrators.
“Despite the ongoing and relentless pogrom in Biafraland, and the atmosphere of intimidation, persecution and insecurity deliberately imposed on the South-East, Biafrans continue to defy fear and oppression to affirm one truth: a people determined to be free cannot be permanently subdued. The resolve of Biafrans to live as free people in the land of their ancestors remains unbroken.
“During the peaceful rally, participants carried placards, banners and photographs of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and renewed their demand for his immediate and unconditional release, insisting that his continued detention remains a major catalyst for tension and instability.
“The rallying crowd also called for an independent inquiry into the Port Harcourt killings and the wider, worsening insecurity ravaging the South-East, stressing that truth, accountability and justice are indispensable to peace.
“IPOB reiterates that all our activities remain peaceful and lawful. We urge the security agencies to respect the fundamental rights of citizens to peaceful assembly, and we call on the international community to take urgent interest in the deteriorating human rights situation in the South-East of Nigeria.”
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