The Indigenous People of Biafra on Friday accused soldiers from the military cantonment at Ohafia, Abia State of attacking its women at a meeting at Abiriba while identifying with IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement made available to journalists in Awka, IPOB media and publicity secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, alleged that the Nigeria Police joined the soldiers in the humiliation, molestation, manhandling and humiliation of the women, who did not commit any crime but for identifying with the cause of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Investigation by Southern City News showed that the women had to strip themselves naked on sighting the security agents approaching to molest them.
But the IPOB media and publicity secretary insisted that the soldiers stormed the venue of the meeting with 20 Hilux vans, alleging that without provocation, the soldiers started beating, arresting and tearing the women’s clothes off their bodies.
He noted that some of the women were stripped naked before they were taken to the army barracks at Ohafia.
The statement said in part: “The Indigenous People of Biafra and its leadership worldwide condemn the unprofessional conduct of the Nigerian Army located at Ohafia against the Biafran and IPOB women’s general meeting holding in Abiriba, Abia State.
“Food, clothes and accessories belonging to the women were seized by the soldiers and taken to the Ohafia barracks.
“This undemocratic conduct of the Nigeria Army must be condemned by all civilized people and nations. The approach to civil policing adopted by the army makes a mockery of common sense and decency.
“Is it the duty of the army to be going about stripping women naked for no justifiable reason?”
“We further gathered from an eye witness at the conference venue that some of the women who were arrested by the Nigerian Army were totally stripped naked.
“This is the highest form of criminal brutality against Biafrans by security apparatus and we wonder when this crime against humanity and unprofessional conduct of the Nigerian Army will stop.
“We are therefore calling on the women organisations around the globe to condemn and take this abuse of Biafra women by the Nigerian Army to the rest of the world.
“We also call on Queen Elizabeth II of England, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and other notable women, including human rights organisations across the world, to protect the rights of Biafran women from the hands of the Nigerian Army.”
When contacted on the telephone,the deputy director, Army Public Relations of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Sagir Musa said he didn’t know anything about the incident.
