A Bloody Day For Pro-Biafra Protesters. (Warning: Graphic Photos)

The Southeast was on the boil yesterday as pro-Biafra agitators staged protests in major cities to mark the 49th declaration of the state of Biafra by the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
The declaration led to the 1967 Civil War, which  lasted till January 1970.

No fewer than two million people died in the 30-month war.

But the recent agitation was given a fillip by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), an organisation propelled by Nnamdi Kanu, (allegedly)who is standing trial for alleged treason.
There were protests or planned protests in capital cities – Owerri, Abakaliki, Umuahia and Enugu. There were also protests in commercial cities of Aba and Onitsha, where it was fiercest, with a big casualty figure.

A man was shot; 19 were arrested in Umuahia. A clergyman and 320 others were rounded up as they were about to proceed on a protest in Abakaliki.
Twenty-one people were arrested in Owerri and 13 in Enugu. The police foiled the protest in Aba, which has been the boiling point of previous agitations. The rally in Calabar was peaceful.

Seven persons, including two policemen, were confirmed dead in Asaba by police spokesman Charles Muka, a Superintendent.
He said in a statement that five members of the Movement for the Actualisation of theSovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) were killed by military men who confronted the group on the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway.

Why would armless people be killed just like that? Why would one protest and beat up a police officer, and throw him down the river niger? This was totally oncalled for. As other options were available to prevent these deaths. 

I think the Biafra's Protesters should read the constitution clearly before embarking on a fruitless protest. The Nigerian armed forces especially the police, should also know their duties and know when not to aggravate issues. These are Nigerians and they have rights.