From AIDOGHIE PAULINUS, New York
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), staged a peaceful protest on the 47th Street, Manhattan, New York, United States, Tuesday to press home their demands for the Sovereign State of Biafra and an end to the killings of IPOB members in the south east of Nigeria.
The protest held as world leaders converged on the United Nations Secretariat for the General Debate of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly where President Muhammadu Buhari delivered Nigeria’s address.
The protest, according to Daily Sun findings, was to draw the attention of the world to the happenings in the southeastern region of Nigeria.
Speaking with Daily Sun, the former Chairman of World Igbo Congress, Chief Austin Egwuonwu, said the protest was against the killing of unarmed youths in the southeast.
“That has to stop. There has to be other means to resolve the conflict. This is the worst way of going about it,” Egwuonwu said.
Egwuonwu added that killing unarmed protesters was not the way to go, saying that the country was not using other means of doing it.
“Killing people, burying them in a mass grave is uncalled for, it is wrong. The leadership of Nigeria has to do something about it,” Egwuonwu stated.
Also speaking, a member of IPOB, Chidi Owoh, said they were at the venue to protest the ongoing subjugation of their people, the Biafrans in Nigeria.
“People have to understand what is going on in Nigeria. Before 1914, we existed as a people. We were on our own, living our own norms and values and our own culture before the European came.
“When they came and met us, for reasons best known to them, they merged us with so many other tribes. Just as we see in anywhere where you have this kind of assignation of people without agreement, it has not worked out. There has been chaos,” Owoh said.
He added that the their demand was for the world to coerce the Nigerian government to arrange a referendum for the Biafra people.
“We want to vote in a referendum whether we want to be part of Nigeria or leave. That is what we want the world to do,” Owo stated.
On her part, Lady Chikwe Njoku, an indigene of Imo State, said she was at the venue to protest against the killing of innocent Igbo youths.
“This is nothing but ethnic and tribal cleansing and it is wrong. Nigeria has civil leadership and we are no longer in a military rule.
“I am calling on our president, President Muhammadu Buhari, to call back the Army, retrieve them from the streets, stop them from killing innocent children, stop them from killing innocent youths. These youths are our future. We cannot allow the military to cleanse them. It is wrong.
“This is not about Biafra. This is about right or wrong, this is about fairness, this is about equity, thi is about illegal killing of the future of Nigeria,” Njoku said.
I applaud you for the protest. The struggle for Biafra restoration must continue until we are freed from the murderous Islamic sharia Nigeria. We are not one with this people and will never be. We are children of the most High God. We must be freed from this satanic slavery and bondage. Keep faith, be strong and at the appropriate time, God will release you no matter what the saboteurs, cowards and selfish Igbos are doing to sabotage your efforts. God’s judgement will rain on them all!
We the Biafrans must be freed from these animalistic hausa fulanis that doesnt have heritage, that doesnt know where they came from.( beast of no nation) we have heritage, and we progress world wide. How many hausas that could stage a protest of this magnitude without them detonating bombs there. Enough is enough, malam buhari. Are you not tired of sucking the igbos blood ? remember that you are not going to live in aso rock villa beyond six years more. Ask your self, where are the likes of Charles Taylor, Hussien Mubarrak, laurent gbagbo, even saddam hussein, moumar gadaffi and milosovic. I bet if you dont change from today, your next home after power shall be first , the ICC and from there you are going to be transfered to guantanamo bay to rot there because you are the terrorist!