We’ll hold police responsible for killing unarmed pro-Biafra protesters--Human Rights

We’ll hold police responsible for killing unarmed pro-Biafra protesters, says HURIWA

THE Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has said it would hold the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase responsible for the killing of unarmed pro-Biafra protesters in Onitsha.

In a statement signed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said it was gravely disturbed that the IGP could abuse his privileged position by publicly ordering the confrontation by his armed operatives against unarmed protesters.

They said the protesters were attacked 24 hours after the IGP asked his armed operatives to quell the peaceful protests by supporters of the politically detained Director of the Europe-based Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

According to the statement, “HURIWA has also for the umpteenth time demanded the unconditional release from the underground cells of the Department for State (DSS) of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.”

HURIWA said it was deeply concerned that “the Nigerian State has persistently violated and disrespected with ignominy several orders of the Court, which granted bail to this prisoner of Conscience, Mr Nnamdi Kanu.

“HURIWA calls on all right-thinking Nigerians to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to release forthwith this prisoner of conscience, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.”
Onwubiko said that the group “has almost exhausted internal mechanisms through the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to initiate investigative hearings over the reported killings by armed soldiers of unarmed civilians, including a shoe cobbler by soldiers in Aba Abia State.

HURIWA disclosed that it was “displeased with the bureaucratic bottlenecks that characterised a subsisting petition against the Army Chief, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai which was submitted on behalf of the Rights group by the Senator representing Abia North, Mr. Enyinaya Abaribe and read on the floor of the Senate” for over three weeks.