The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has described as an unprovoked action yesterday’s “invasion” of the home of Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, by the police and other security agents, which led to casualties barely four days after the burial of his elder brother.
The media and publicity secretary of the pro-Biafra group, Emma Powerful, in a statement, noted that not even during the darkest days of Abacha’s dictatorship did anyone witness what it called brazen intimidation of a legal counsel “or the attempted assassination of a defence counsel in a high profile case.”
It noted that it was the golden rule of every legal system that defence counsel were not harassed, intimidated or killed. But it seemed, in Nigerian situation, the statement argued, nothing is sacrosanct.
“In their usual predictable manner, the police in Anambra State have issued a self-incriminating statement laden with blatant lies, falsehood and deception. For the police to say there was a criminal complaint against Ejiofor bothering on assault and kidnapping four days after the funeral of his brother is most stupid and laughable. Criminal complaint from who? Who did he kidnap, the body of his dead brother?
“The police claim two of their officers were killed by IPOB members but there were four dead bodies in the burnt police vehicle. What any investigative journalist worth his salt should ask is, who are the other two victims, where did they come from and what were they doing in a police van? Answers to these questions will reveal that the police in Anambra State are unrepentant liars. The truth remains that police and army went to the home of Ejiofor with the sole purpose to kill him before next month’s court date, as is now their tradition.
“On getting there, they opened fire on unarmed civilians as usual and the two men that came out of the house were shot dead instantly. The police carried their dead and dying bodies into their van to conceal evidence and drove off. These are facts backed by evidence Anambra police cannot deny.
“After killing two unarmed and innocent civilians, before they left, the police doused Ejiofor’s home with petrol and set it on fire. This was the reality, yesterday, in Oraifite Anambra State.
“It was the carelessness of the police in handling the petrol they used to drench Ejiofor’s home and nearby businesses before setting them on fire that trailed back and led to the fire that gutted their van.”
Meanwhile, the police in Anambra have declared Ejiofor wanted over the clash on Monday in Oraifite, which left at least four persons dead.
The police commissioner in the state, John Abang, in a video message circulated by the spokesman of the police, Haruna Mohammed, yesterday, urged members of the public with any information of his whereabouts to avail the police or any other security agencies of such information.
“Gentleman, I will like to let Nigerians to know that as we speak, Ejiofor, an IPOB member, and his cohorts, have been declared wanted by the command.
“And I will seek the cooperation of law abiding Nigerians from North, South, East and West, wherever they find this individual, they should report to the nearest police station or any other security agency for possible arrest and prosecution,” Abang said.