Nigerian soldiers and other security agencies have been accused of clamping down on unarmed pro-Biafra activists and Igbo protesters on Monday, May 30, 2016m the day that marks Igbo Heroes Remembrance Day, leading to what human rights activists now call the Onitsha Massacre.
Monday, Igbos mostly made up of pro-Biafra activists staged a prayer procession to mark the annual Igbo Heroes Remembrance Day. The main rally was to hold in Onitsha, a commercial city in Anambra State. Rallies held, simultaneously in cities and towns across the South East and in Delta State.
Nigerian soldiers, acting on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, attacked Igbos as they were in a Catholic Church in Nkpor preparing for morning mass. Ten people were killed in the church shooting which is the documented first episode of the Onitsha Massacre, a murderous campaign that sources say as many as 50 have been killed by troops.
A medical doctor wrote the below account on his Facebook page of the massacre of unarmed pro-Biafra protesters by Nigerian soldiers on Monday. This account provided a glimpse into the Onitsha Massacre.
Onitsha Massacre: A Doctor’s Tale
They shot at unarmed people trying to remember their fallen heroes. They killed them in cold blood. Young boys, who only wanted to have their stories heard.
I saw it all. My life was threatened. I ran like a mad man. I hid.
I was made to treat the wounded, without police report. I thought I was going to be shot dead by the same soldiers who shot at the wounded that I was made to treat.
We hustled for tools, blood and, ambulance to transport those that we were able to resuscitate, under severe pressure, to bigger hospitals where they would get specialist care.
Soldiers were stationed, positioned, along the streets like there was a war going on.
Young boys with nothing but, Biafran colours and songs were shot and killed.
News men were denied access. And holding a phone meant being shot at.
I was made to put my own life at risk; what’s if the soldiers who shot the IPOB guys, came and fired at the junior doctor who had no hand in the violence, a terrified doctor who was only trying to save lives?
Today was bloody and the streets are still red with blood. I saw flying bullets. I saw people being burnt.
Nigeria is burning but, we all are not talking about it. We are all on Facebook talking about other things and taking selfies.
The soldiers shot people and took their bodies away. They went to the hospitals and took the wounded perhaps, to shoot them, some more. I was told that some of the guys we referred were taken away from the hospital where we sent them to .
Today, I’ve seen it all and I know that my country is in trouble. Those IPOB guys may never forget. And that’s my fear.
I only want peace. Let’s not turn this place into another war zone.
He shared this post with some graphic photos HERE, HERE, and HERE. (Warning: The images are of a graphic nature. Viewer discretion is advised).
Following threats, the doctor recanted his story and said his phone was snatched from him and he did not write the post. That is why his name is withheld.
