2-IN-1 STORY: Nigeria Security Forces Must Avoid Repression Of Biafra Day Protests — Amnesty International

Biafra sit-at-home: People stayed off the streets In Nigeria's south-east in strong show of support to the sit-at-home order. Abdussalam Ibrahim Ahmed

The Nigerian security forces must exercise restraint when policing demonstrations marking the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Biafra War on May 30, and avoid a repetition of the bloodbath caused by their heavy-handed response last year when more than 60 people were gunned down, said Amnesty International today.

Biafra sit-at-home: Anambra registers near total compliance as markets, banks

Biafra sit-at-home: Onitsha – Head bridge Market shutdown completely

News Agency of Nigeria report continues:

“Last year’s heavy-handed response against pro-Biafra activists further stirred up tensions in the south east of Nigeria. The reckless approach to crowd control favoured by the security forces when policing peaceful pro-Biafra protests has left more than 150 dead since August 2015, not to mention cases of enforced disappearance and unlawful detention,” said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

“We urge the Nigerian security agencies to conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure public order without resorting to force.”

During peaceful Biafra Day celebrations last year in Onitsha, Anambra State, soldiers shot people in several locations. Amnesty International research concluded that at least 60 extra-judicial executions were committed in the space of two days, with a further 70 people injured. The real number is likely to be higher.

“Despite overwhelming evidence that members of the Nigerian security forces fired live ammunition with little or no warning to disperse pro-Biafra gatherings, resulting in the death of at least 150 people, no person suspected of criminal responsibility has been brought to justice,” said Mr. Ojigho.

A similar pattern of lack of accountability for gross violations by security forces has been documented in other parts of Nigeria including the north east in the context of operations against Boko Haram.

“Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the government of Nigeria to initiate independent investigations into allegations of crimes under international law. President Buhari has repeatedly promised that these would be looked into. However, no progress has been made,” said Mr. Ojigho.

In November 2016, Amnesty International warned that the Nigerian government’s massive deployment of the military to respond to pro-Biafra events seems to be in large part to blame for the violence as they have no specific training in crowd control. Instead, public order during peaceful protests should be dealt with by the police, whose officers should be adequately trained and equipped to respond to crowd-control situations without resorting to the use of lethal force.

Recent arrests of peaceful pro-Biafra protesters

The security forces have already started clamping down on pro-Biafra groups ahead of the formal anniversary. On May 22, more than 100 members of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Biafra Independent Movement (BIM) were arrested in Enugu, Ebonyi, and Cross River states during similar celebrations.

“We are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been detained solely for peacefully expressing their political views or other exercise of their right to freedom of expression or peaceful assembly,” said Mr. Ojigho.

In a report released in November 2016 Amnesty International revealed that at least 150 peaceful pro-Biafra protesters were killed by the security forces between August 2015 and August 2016.

Shut-Down For 50th Anniversary Of Biafra Declaration

Many people in the south-east feel the government has not developed the region. Abdussalam Ibrahim Ahmed

AFP reports that shops, schools and businesses were shut in southeast Nigeria on Tuesday, 50 years to the day since an independent republic of Biafra was declared, sparking a brutal civil war.

In Onitsha, the economic hub of Anambra state on the banks of the River Niger, most markets were closed and the streets were largely empty of people and traffic.

Separatist sentiment persists in the region, which is dominated by the Igbo people, and the main pro-Biafran independence group has called on supporters to stay at home.

"No work today, we are Biafran, we are not Nigerians," said Ebere Ichukwu Eli, one of the few people to venture outside, where there was a visible security presence.

"No violence, it is a peaceful sit at home. We are protesting peacefully," the 47-year-old told AFP.

A woman who gave her name only as Justine, said: "The market is closed today. I'm just going home to stay with my children.

"We want our one Biafra. It's our land. That's why we all sit at home today."

- Over 100 arrested -

The closures were either to commemorate the anniversary in support or because of fears of violence, local people said.

Nigerian police last week denounced "planned protests and order of market closures" and warned it would "deal decisively" with any breach of the peace or unlawful protest.

Last year, demonstrations marking the declaration of Biafran independence turned bloody. Amnesty International said the military gunned down more than 60 people.

Since August 2015, more than 150 people have been killed in pro-Biafra protests, said Amnesty's Nigeria director Osai Ojigho. Nigeria's government denies the claim.

"We urge the Nigerian security agencies to conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure public order without resorting to force," he added.

Amnesty said the security forces had arrested more than 100 members of pro-Biafran separatist groups in the run-up to Tuesday's anniversary.

Calls for independence never disappeared even after the 30-month civil war, which left more than one million dead, most of them Igbos, mainly from starvation and disease.

Many people accuse the government of failing to invest in the southeast since the end of the war in 1970, blighting development. Some see it as a punishment for the conflict.