Over one thousand enthusiastic agitators for the Sovereign State of Biafra staged another walk in protest over the continued detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
This is coming barely weeks after the agitators staged a peaceful protest across ,ajar streets of Asaba, Delta State capital seeking the unconditional release of Mr. Kanu.
The agitators under the aegis of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Delta State chapter started the peaceful march at Agbor and moved to Asaba in motorcade causing traffic gridlock in the process.
The agitators adorned palm fronds on their heads while exposing their bodies as they almost stripped bare in the demand for freedom from the Nigerian government.
They described the continued detention of Mr. Kanu as uncalled for and totally unacceptable, insisting that they were no longer comfortable with the Nigerian government.
Saturday Sun gathered that at Summit Junction on the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha expressway, security operatives allegedly used tear gas to disperse the protesters and actually arrested some of them.
But a source close to the state Commissioner of the Police told our correspondent that the command was averse to detaining Biafran agitators, adding that the command was exploring the best possible ways to handle the situation.
One of the protesters who spoke with our correspondent, Victor Nwoha said the protest became necessary to secure the release of Dr. Kanu, adding that “we have suffered enough in the hands of the Nigerian government and we are no more comfortable with it.
“We want our freedom that is why we are here. We are not comfortable with the Nigerian government, the intimidation, killing and all that; that is why we want our freedom. We feel very bad about his detention and it is affecting each and every one of us. We are not comfortable, we want to go.
“The federal government should release our Director, Dr. Nnamdi Kanu and we also want our freedom. As a nation that is due for freedom, we want to go; we are tired; the suffering is too much; it is not a crime to want our freedom; we want to go.”
One of the protesters, Chineye Udeoba said the detention of Kanu has brought bitterness to the people of Biafra, warning that he should be released without further delay.
“We are not Nigerians, we are Biafrans. My father is seventy-two years old and he is older than Nigeria. He is a Biafrian, I am a Biafran and we all here are Biafrans. We the indigenous people of Biafra are ready to go. We want to be on our own.
“The British came and amalgamated us with these Oduduwa and Arewa people, we are not one; we were never one, we are totally different in terms of tradition. We want to be on our own. We want our freedom,” Udeoba said.
Mrs. Judith Ihebiehi told journalists that the detained Kanu was the voice of Biafra, insisting that it was wrong for the Nigerian government to detain him as he did nothing to merit the punishment.
“Have they ever asked themselves if what this man has been saying is false? Have they bothered to verify what Nnamdi Kanu has been saying? So detaining Nnamdi Kanu will bring problems.
“Our reason of coming here is to tell the people of Delta State about the suffering of our people in the hands of the federal government,” she said.
The protesters were however, denied access into the Government House by security operatives who were on guard. No official of the state government addressed them.
Sun
