Pro-Biafra group appeals to President Jonathan to order the release of its detained members

The Biafra Zionist Federation, BZF, yesterday, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to order the immediate release of its leader, Benjamin Onwuka, and other members of the group who have been in detention for the past two months. The group said it was set to institute a court action against the Inspector General of Police at the International Court of Justice, ICJ, if he failed to release their members forthwith. Leader of the pro-Biafra group, Onwuka, and some of his members were arrested after they invaded  Enugu State Broadcasting Service, ESBS, with the intention of making a live-broadcast.

They were later paraded before journalists in Enugu  and moved to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, where they had been incarcerated since June 5, this year.

The group said in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chiemeria Chibundu, that the continued detention of their members without trial was against the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all other international treaties.

He stressed that the police should have gone ahead to prosecute Onwuka and other members of the group, if indeed, they were found guilty of any wrong-doing.

Chibundu, however, said it was unfortunate that the police had decided to endlessly clamp down on armless members of the group, whereas terrorists were holding Nigerians to ransom in the North-Eastern part of the country.

He decried a situation where the BZF members were paraded naked like common criminals, whereas some suspected Boko Haram members, who were arrested in Imo State, were shielded from the public by the police.

The statement said:  “We condemn this situation where our members were tortured, humiliated, stripped naked, handcuffed and paraded before the public by the commissioner of police in Enugu State.

“They were later bundled to the police headquarters, Abuja and abandoned in underground cells without trial, care, neither has anyone been allowed to see nor visit them.

“The above situation is totally unacceptable to us and we are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to prevail on the police to free these non-violent freedom fighters.