Pro-Biafran group threatens to drag IG to ICJ

The Biafra Zionist Federation, the group which invaded the studio of the Enugu State Broadcasting Service in an unsuccessful bid to declare the secession of the Republic of Biafra, has threatened to drag the Inspector General of Police to the International Court of Justice over the continued detention of its members without trial.

Several members of the group, including the leader, Mr. Benjamin Onwuka, were arrested during the incident, during which a policeman was killed.
The group, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Chiemeria Chibundu, also appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to order the immediate release of its members who have been in detention for the past two months.
Chibundu said the continuous detention of members of the BZF without trial was against the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other international treaties.

He argued that the police should have proceeded to prosecute the arrested ‘freedom fighters’ immediately if indeed they were found guilty of any wrong-doing.
He said, “We condemn this situation where our members were tortured, humiliated, stripped naked, handcuffed and paraded before the public by the commissioner of police in Enugu State.
“They were later bundled to the police headquarters, Abuja and abandoned in underground cells without trial and care, neither has anyone been allowed to see nor visit them.
“The above situation is totally unacceptable to us and we are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to prevail on the police to free these non-violent freedom fighters.”
The spokesman in the same vein said the secessionists were not responsible for the death of the policeman.

“We insist that our members were not involved in the killing of a police officer as was alleged; the policemen, who were drafted to the ESBS have explanation to what happened to their colleague; our members had no arms and couldn’t have shot the policeman.
“Enough of this unjust persecution of the Biafra Zionist Federation; we should be allowed to pursue our freedom which is a right we have under the international treaties, all of which Nigeria is a signatory.

“We, therefore, appeal to the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, the Amnesty International and human rights activists to speak against these gross abuse of rights,” the group said.