Hundreds of acclaimed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from the South-south and south-east zones gathered in Port Harcourt on Friday in support of the US President, Donald Trump.
The IPOB members, who say they were on a peaceful rally in support of who they referred to as “our man”, were abruptly dispersed by army officers and other security operatives, on Aba Road in the Rivers State capital.
Some of the protesters claimed they were attacked by security operatives, leading to many of them sustaining injuries.
Many of those who resisted the security operatives were arrested and their flags confiscated.
One woman who led a group of women to the rally said: “We are holding a rally, a peaceful protest in Igwocha here and when we got to Garrison here, with some of my women, army came and scattered us.
“Some of the women there cannot walk. They came and used gun and their poisonous dagger and stabbed some of us. They just came and rounded us. They said we should not run, we did not run. At a time they began to flog us with their cane. We ran to a place under the bridge and in the process, some people fell and broke their legs”.
Another person who claimed to be a leader of the IPOB from Okrika area in Rivers State said they had gathered in Igwocha, a community in Port Harcourt to show support for Donald Trump and to rejoice with him on his inauguration.
“It has not been easy, it has not been easy. See my hand wounded. My stomach, my phone have been shattered. One old woman of over 60 years was dealt with by the soldiers.
“It has not been easy. We did not come out to fight anybody, but just to show solidarity to our man,” he told Channels Television.
Many of them were seen carrying flags with pictures of Donald Trump and the acclaimed leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
The IPOB supporters said they will continue to believe in their dream of the nation of biafra. the walk took them through some major streets in port harcourt.
on January 4, members of the IPOB began widespread mobilisation and sensitisation for a referendum ahead of what they called the emergence of the independent state of Biafra.
The spokesman for the group, Comrade Emma Powerful said: “IPOB family members worldwide are working tirelessly to restore our long lost freedom and political independence from the Luggardian creation called Nigeria without bloodshed.
“We invite the international community, men and women of goodwill to come and monitor this peaceful referendum in Biafraland”.
He said that the pro-Biafran agitators do not require the permission of the Nigerian State or her government officials to grant them independence, giving the indication that they were going ahead with the referendum even without the Nigerian constitution granting such rights for secession.
