By Onyebuchi Benjamin Awoke
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Protest at Head Bridge, Onitsha, on May 30, 2016 was a significant event marked by a large-scale demonstration and subsequent violence. As at that time, I held the position of the State Director of IPOB in Ebonyi State and was charged with the responsibility of coordinating the IPOB affairs and activities in Ebonyi State as a whole.
Days after, Igbos, and indeed many Nigerians, continue to lament and condemn the unfortunate killings at the popular Nkpor Junction in Idemili North Local Government Area, near the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra State on Monday, May 30, 2016, during the Remembrance Day of Biafran heroes and heroines who died during the 1967-70 Nigerian Civil War.
It has, however, emerged that this was the second of a major blood spill at Nkpor Junction which is an intersection of roads linking Onitsha, Obosi, Umuoji, Ogidi and the expressway leading to Awka and Enugu.
The first blood spill occurred at the same spot in 1983 during the Second Republic’s Second Term Presidential Campaign of the then President Shehu Shagari. Supporters of the late Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who joined the ruling National Party of Nigeria, NPN, soon after returning from exile, had clashed with those of the then Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, of the Nigeria Peoples Party, NPP.
Nwobodo was then campaigning for second term, while Ojukwu, who was granted presidential pardon by Shagari, was jostling to take over from him. During the 1983 Episode, guns, cutlasses and acid were freely used between the two rival political groups, with Ojukwu himself leading the NPN to justify his presidential pardon, while Nwobodo led his own campaign train.
The latest blood spill was the tragic climax of the Indigenous People of Biafra’s and members’ insistence on going ahead with their proposed 49th Remembrance Day ceremony scheduled for May 30. However, the Nigerian security forces which described IPOB as an outlawed group, and whose members were subsequently declared wanted, vowed to stop any such gathering.
From Saturday, May 28, the security forces started mounting surveillance at the Nkpor Junction, waiting to intercept and disperse any gathering of either the IPOB, Biafra Independence Movement, BIM or Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.
HERE ARE THE DETAILED ASPECTS OF THE PROTEST: BACKGROUND: IPOB AND NNAMDI KANU
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a separatist organization, advocating for the Independence of Biafra from Nigeria. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, was arrested in October 2015 by Nigerian authorities, sparking a series of protests by IPOB supporters demanding his release.
The protest took place on May 30, 2016, in Onitsha, Anambra State, particularly around the Head Bridge Area, a key commercial and transportation hub. As a result of the planned protest, each State (IPOB) coordinators had to converge with all IPOB members in each province at Onitsha for the protest.
The purpose of the demonstration was part of a broader commemoration of Biafra Remembrance Day, honoring those who died in the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). It also served as a platform to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu and to reiterate the call for Biafra’s Independence.
SCALE AND PARTICIPATION
The protest, initially, peaceful, soon escalated into violence as the Nigerian security forces, including the military and police, that were deployed to manage the protest, applied force and started using live ammunition, tear gas, and other means to break up the demonstration and this led to chaotic scenes, with many protesters fleeing and some getting injured and multiple deaths were recorded among the protesters in the process. During this time, a lot of us had to run for safety because we were armless.
The security forces that were to protect lives turned against us. I lost many of my colleagues on the spot. It was recorded that over 60 IPOB protesters were killed. These are people that took to the streets to mark the commemoration of the anniversary of the declaration of the Republic of Biafra. The suffering is too much. If this marginalization goes on, our children will not have any hope.
We do not have weapons and yet we are maimed and killed like animals. The onslaught continued in the morning as the security forces launched another attack and killed more persons, bringing the death toll to an estimated 150 which IPOB said included persons going about their normal and lawful businesses. The violence and unrest led to a shutdown of businesses and disrupted daily activities in Onitsha and there was significant property damage, including vehicles and buildings around the protest area.
On the night of May 30, 2016, security forces, including soldiers, were going from house to house arresting IPOB members. In the process, Ifeanyichukwu Awoke (my brother) was killed. I had to escape because I was the prime target of the military. Having lost my brother and my whereabouts unknown, Mrs. Josephine Awoke (my mother) fell sick and was diagnosed of chronic stroke.
I still live in fear and shock each time I remember this ugly incident. My mother has been on sick bed till today. In the face of this crisis, the only thing the Nigerian Government could do was to condemn the protest, labelling IPOB as a terrorist organization whose members were declared wanted and justifying the security crackdown as necessary to maintain law and order. IPOB, on the other hand, accused the Nigerian Government of human rights violations and continued to push for the release of Nnamdi Kanu and the Independence of Biafra.
The incident drew international attention, with various human rights organizations calling for investigations into the use of excessive force by Nigerian security forces. Amnesty International and other groups documented and reported on the human rights abuses during the protest.
The protest and its violent suppression exacerbated tensions between the Nigerian Government State and the Pro-Biafra ovement. It highlighted the deep-rooted issues and grievances in the Southeast Region of Nigeria, contributing to ongoing unrest and occasional violent clashes in subsequent years.
The May 2016 IPOB Protest in Onitsha remains a critical event in the ongoing struggle for Biafra’s Independence and highlights the complex dynamics between separatist movements and state authorities in Nigeria.
Onyebuchi Benjamin Awoke writes from Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria
