By Ogemdi Udegbunam
Friday, 23 November 2018, at about 11:30, am, members of Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB) converged in front of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, from where they matched to Agbo Edo Market, Nkwo Nnewi, where they hoped to address traders to boycott the 2019 general election being organized by the government of Nigeria.
Their central message during the match was “No Referendum, No election”.
Meanwhile, while they were matching towards AGBO EDO Market, armed policemen loaded in three vans trailed them till the group got to Agbo Edo Market.
It was while IPOB members were giving their message that the Divisional Police Officer ( DPO), Central Police Station, Nnewi, Babalola Adewunyi, decided to address the pro-Biafra group.
The DPO, while addressing them, might have used “unpalatable parlance”, and the situation soon degenerated into a clash between the police and the IPOB members; which left the Divisional Police Officer, Babalola Adewunyi and another officer attached to the Area Command, Nnewi, ASP Micheal Duru seriously injured; just as a Police Inspector attached to Nnewi Central Police Station, Inspector Akinbami Olaniyi, was killed in the process. Police vans were equally destroyed in the process.
Having gone that far, the IPOB members hurriedly dispersed. About one or two hours later, a joint team of the Nigerian Police and Army arrived and started making arrests within the Motor Spare Parts Market, Nnewi.
“IPOB Will Dance That Day And Police Elephant Will Dance Too” – Police Dare IPOB
Anaedooline reports authoritatively that majority of the arrested suspects were innocent traders doing their lawful businesses in the market, and Nnewi traders became scapegoats over crimes committed by other people.
Perpetrators of the crime left long ago before police arrived, and started arresting traders. The police ought to know that the people they charged for murder, attempted murder, rioting and malicious destruction of government properties are the wrong people. The real culprits are out there, walking freely. Police should go for the real culprits and release innocent traders.
To buttress my point, the unfortunate incident took place at AGBO EDO Market, while arrests were made at the Motor Spare Parts Market. Two different markets at two different locations.
So, I have questions. Did the police get intelligence information that IPOB members left AGBO EDO Market and took refuge in various shops at the Motor Spare Parts Market?
Police investigators should do a painstaking job to identify innocent traders and set them free.
It is quite evident that the Nigerian Police arrested and charged the traders for murder and other charges without doing a thorough investigation.
Traders arrested in Nkwo Nnewi are not IPOB members that organised the protest. All the traders arrested possess traceable addresses at Nkwo Nnewi Market.
Such an arrest has created tension. Nerves are frayed and people are sad at the turn of events. Presently, traders at Agbo Edo Market are still not opening their shops for fear of being harassed or arrested by the police. This is even as businesses of the arrested traders are completely crumbled. This knee-jerk reaction by the Nigerian police should be addressed.
We encourage the Nigerian police to go after the real culprits with every instrument at their disposal with a view to bringing them to justice.
I call on Chief Okwudili Ezenwabunkwo, who doubles as Chairman, South East and Anambra Amalgamated Traders Association and, who happens to come from Anambra South to wade into this matter.
In Conclusion, I appeal to our Royal Father, His Royal Highness, Igwe (Dr.) Kenneth Orizu III, of Nnewi to step in and save the innocent Nnewi traders.
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