World
According to Amnesty International, Nigeria’s army killed 17 pro-Biafra agitators at three different locations in Onitsha town on May 30. The human rights watchdog called on the country’s government to urgently and independently investigate the extra-judicial killings, which were carried out as the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (I.P.O.B.) celebrated the 50th anniversary of Biafra.
A statement issued by Nigerian army officials described Amnesty’s allegations as “unfounded and misleading,” writes the BBC. The army accused I.P.O.B. members of launching violent protests that killed two Nigerian police personnel and threatened peace and stability in several parts of Anambra State.
Nigerian military’s claim that it acted in self defense contrasted with Amnesty’s findings, which said there was no evidence to support such a statement, reports allAfrica.
Amnesty International, which gathered evidence from eyewitnesses, hospitals and morgues, said it feared that the number of casualties could be higher, notes International Business Times. More than one million civilians died during a three-year civil war, which broke out after Biafran territories seceded from Nigeria and declared independence in 1967. Calls for Biafran independence have grown louder over the past year.
