No fewer than 20,000 members and sympathizers of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Tuesday, December 1, 2015 shut down vehicular and commercial activities in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State, and its environs, like Obosi and Nkpor to protest, in solidarity for the release of the incarcerated Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
Vehicular movements were as usual grounded by the intimidating number of the IPOB members and their sympathizers who marched from the Niger Head Bridge to the former Ogbunike Toll Gate to register their anger against the continued detention of Mr. Kanu.
The surging crowd of IPOB members and their sympathizers who marched along the area, disrupted vehicular movements for over seven hours, before normalcy was restored on the bridge, after they left the area for other parts of Onitsha.
The attempt by the military to disperse them failed because of their number and their resort to non violence. Although, the Military showed professionalism that has never been witnessed in Onitsha, under similar situation. The military carefully implored them to free the road for other users.
The Onitsha-Owerri Expressway was not free from the disruption of vehicular movements by the protesting IPOB members who also marched around the area, thereby making movement in and out of Onitsha difficult for all the road users.
The crowd was so intimidating that some markets along the roads were shut-down, even as traders were seen hanging around to attend sharply to their customers that were equally trapped as a result of the protest. The affected markets included: Bridge Head Market, Onitsha Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers Market, Ochanja Market all in Onitsha, New Auto Spare Parts Market and New Tire Market Nkpor, Building Material Market Ogidi and bakery Market also in Ogidi either closed shops with
Almost all the shops located along New Market Road, especially where house interior decoration materials are sold were shut down, eventhough the protest didn’t get there.
According to some of the traders, they closed shops in solidarity of the IPOB members, even as others said they closed shops for fear of the unknown.
One of the leaders of IPOB, Comrade Emma Powerful who spoke to newsmen said “We decided to avoid coming close to markets, especially Onitsha Main Market, because of the false allegation by some leaders of the traders who have been paid to destroy our image, with allegations of looting and destroying the trader’s goods.
“We are not protesting against our brothers and sisters who are doing their genuine businesses. So, there is no reason to attack anybody, or invade their shops. Also, we are neither begging anybody to come and join in the protest. People whose lives and businesses have been destroyed by government policies joined us without invitation, while others joined in solidarity as Igbos.
“‘The allegation of infiltration into our fold is also false, baseless and figments of the imagination of those making it. We are only protesting to secure the release of our leader,” he said
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of IPOB, Mr Chidiebere Onwudiwe said that the protest was a result of the detention of Mr Kanu and continued marginalization of South East, adding that the protest will continue on Wednesday, December 2, 2015
