The Abia State Police Command alleges that an attack by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) resulted in the deaths of five individuals from the group. The claim appears in a statement issued by the command’s public relations officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, on behalf of Police Commissioner Mustapha Bala. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, five IPOB members were shot dead in Osusu, Aba, on Friday while participating in a procession across the city.
Some residents reported that the group was protesting peacefully and without disturbance. An eyewitness, Chinomso Aka, said the demonstration was aimed at protesting the continued detention of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu on the day the incident occurred.
Commissioner Bala provided further details, stating: “On 31 March 2023, at around 11:45 a.m., policemen conducting a show of force in Aba metropolis came under attack by proscribed IPOB/ESN members. They were armed with petrol bombs, machetes, battle axes and other dangerous weapons. The attack was repelled by police operatives with minimal casualties, while the majority of the hoodlums fled for safety. Normalcy has since returned to the area.”
The command warned that any person or group intending to disrupt the relative peace enjoyed in the state should reconsider such actions.
Comments are closed for this story.