SaharaReporters reported that the IPOB members were on a procession across the Aba commercial city when they encountered the policemen who in the ensuing clash, killed five of them.
The Nigeria Police Force has defended its killing of five alleged members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba, Abia State on Friday, saying that they were killed because they attacked the police operatives.
Reacting to the controversies over the killing of the five IPOB members, the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonnia, in a statement said that the police operatives killed the IPOB members while repelling their attack.
Recall that some Nigerians had described the killing of the five IPOB members in the Osusu area of Aba as part of police extra-judicial killing in the country.
SaharaReporters reported that the IPOB members were on a procession across the Aba commercial city when they encountered the policemen who in the ensuing clash, killed five of them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an eyewitness, Mr Chinomso Aka, said that the members of the secessionist group were protesting continued detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu when the incident happened.
But the Abia State Police spokesperson claimed that policemen on patrol came under attack from the IPOB/ESN members who, according to him, were armed with dangerous weapons.
Ogbonna stated that the police operatives repelled the attack with minimal casualties while the majority of the hoodlums scampered for safety.
“On 31/03/2023 at about 1145hours, policemen on a confidence building patrol/show of force within Aba metropolis came under attack by the proscribed IPOB/ESN members. They were armed with petrol bombs, machetes, battle axes and other dangerous weapons.
“The attack was repelled by the police operatives with minimal casualties while the majority of the hoodlums scampered for safety. However, normalcy has returned in the area,” the PPRO stated.
The Command warned that any person(s) or groups intending to disturb the relative peace enjoyed in the State should rethink and desist from such an idea, adding that the security operatives in the state would not fold their arms and watch disgruntled elements to “mesmerise” the state.