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Following recent agitation for an independent state of Biafra by some Igbo people in the eastern and southern part of the country, the Nigerian army has warned protesters not to cross the red line as military personnel are ready for battle.
Protests have been going on by Pro- Biafra agitators under the aegis of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and the Independent People Of Biafra. The arrest of Nnamdi Kanu by security personnel and his continued detention has escalated the protests.
A Biafra protest in Igwe Ocha in the Port Harcourt area of Rivers state turned violent when a protester was reportedly shot dead by a soldier.
In the wake of the face-off between security operatives and the protesters, Vanguard reports that Brig-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru who is the acting general officer commanding the 82 division of the Nigerian army in Enugu warned that the army would not stand aside and watch the country deteriorate into lawlessness. He said officers would not fold their arms and allow people to destroy lives and properties all in the name of agitation for an independent state.
“The warning to the agitators is to tell them that enough is enough,’’ He said.
He vowed that once deployed, the army would apply the rule of engagement to achieve peace.
Attahiru said: “The Nigerian Army would like to send an unequivocal warning to all and sundry, more specifically to all those threatening and agitating for the dismemberment of the country, committing treasonable felony and arson.
“Once deployed, the Nigerian Army shall apply the rules of engagement to the letter in order for peace to prevail.”
He noted that the protesters have engaged in lawless behaviors in Aba, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Abakaliki and Enugu.
He said it was the duty of the police to maintain a certain level of peace and order and that the army took its time to take its present stance.
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