Two killed in attempt to declare Biafra in Enugu

There was confusion in Enugu on Thursday over the death of two persons, including a policeman, during a failed attempt by the Biafra Zionist Federation to allegedly announce the secession of the ‘Republic of Biafra’ in the studio of the Enugu State Broadcasting Service. The BZF had earlier attracted attention on March 8 when members of the group invaded the Enugu State Government House to hoist the flag of the Republic of Biafra.

 

Having been declared wanted by the police after the invasion of the Government House, the secessionists, numbering about 15 in number, around 5.30am on Thursday, invaded the studio of the ESBS with a recorded compact disc, which was said to contain an announcement of the secession of the Biafran Nation.

 

Our correspondent gathered that the Biafran activists, led by one Benjamin Onwuka, ordered staff of the broadcast station that were present in the studio at the time to allow them air the recorded announcement, and also make a live broadcast. The broadcasters resisted the directive and alerted the police.

 

An unnamed police seargent, who was part of a patrol team that rushed down to the ESBS to contain the situation, was shot and killed by the secessionists. The BZF also recorded a casualty, as one of them was killed by the police.

 

The Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Mohammed, who addressed journalists after parading 13 members of the BZF, including Onwuka, who were arrested during the incident, made no mention of the alleged plan to declare the secession of Biafra.

 

Rather, the police commissioner said the group wanted to burn the broadcast station, although he also admitted that they came with a recorded audio compact disc. Mohammed also confirmed that the members of the BZF attempted to “make a live broadcast to Nigerians.”

 

According to him, highlights of the announcement which the group wanted to make, which he said was written down on a sheet of paper, revealed that they wanted to call on youths in Enugu State, including students, “to come out.”

 

The CP said, “They wanted to make an appeal calling on all boys in Enugu to come out, they also asked students to come out, those people with Keke NAPEP to come out, they wanted to order all public places to be closed today, all schools to be closed, all markets to be closed, and all government elected officials to surrender all their property in their possession.

 

“These people went there with the intention of trying to overturn the government.”