•Amnesty International insists on probe of 2016 killings ahead May 30 Remembrance Day
From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri, and Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on May 12, 2025, declared Friday, May 30, total lockdown in the South East in honour of fallen heroes and heroines of the defunct Republic of Biafra. Its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, explained: “The public holiday and lockdown is an annual Memorial and Remembrance Day for Biafran heroes and heroines among Biafrans.”
Noting that awareness was already created on various media platforms, he urged residents of the South East to remain indoors and not stage open processions, to avoid confrontation with security forces: “All IPOB family members in their various countries must organise and obtain permits to demonstrate against unlawful imprisonment and illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria.
“No protests will take place in Biafra or anywhere in Nigeria, to prevent being harmed by the lethal Nigerian security forces. Simply stay inside and enjoy television and videos with your family while contemplating the memories and the genocide inflicted upon Biafrans from 1967 to the present day.
“It is a day for families to recount their experiences of the Biafran genocide war from 1967 to 1970 and the ongoing victimization, destruction and marginalisation of Ndigbo within Nigeria.”
In 2016, no fewer than 60 pro-Biafra campaigners were allegedly killed by the military in Onitsha, Anambra State, when about 1,000 of them gathered on the eve of Biafra Remembrance Day.
Last week, Amnesty International renewed its call on the Federal Government to launch a transparent and credible investigation into the deadly military crackdown on pro-Biafra supporters in Onitsha nine years ago: “The Nigerian authorities must open a transparent and effective investigation of the Onitsha massacre of May 30, 2016, when security forces violently cracked down on peaceful gatherings of Remembrance Day, almost nine years ago. Nine years is too long for victims and their families to keep waiting for justice.”
The group claimed that the largest number of pro-Biafra activists were killed on that day when an estimated 1,000 members and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra gathered for the rally: “Security forces began a coordinated crackdown the night before the rally, as security forces raided homes and a church where IPOB members were sleeping.
“The violence intensified the next day, with shootings reported at multiple locations. On Remembrance Day itself, the security forces shot people in several locations. At least 60 people were killed and 70 injured in these two days, 30–31, May 2016. The real number is likely to be higher.
“By May 30, 2025, it will be nine years since the brutal clampdown. Opening an investigation that meets international standards is an obligation that the Nigerian government must uphold.”
Amnesty International has been consistent in its push for the probe of the reprehensible Onitsha incident.