You can’t protest, police tell IPOB, others

The Rivers and Anambra states commands of the Nigeria Police Force have warned the Indigenous People of Biafra and other pro-Biafran agitators against carrying out their planned protest scheduled for Friday (today).

The police have also described the protest as illegal.

The IPOB had declared today a sit-at-home day. It also called for the closure of markets, schools, banks and other institutions in the South-East and South-South geo-political zones.

The group which said it would use the day to protest the continued detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, by the Federal Government added that there would be restriction of movement during the protest.

The police also warned those who planned such protest to retrace their steps to avoid ugly consequences.

In a statement released on Thursday, entitled: ‘Re: Protest Attempt to Cause Breach of Peace,’ signed by the Anambra State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Nkeiruka Nwode, the police said its attention had been drawn to the planned protest.

It advised parents to warn their children and wards against being used.

The statement partly read, “The attention of the Anambra State Police Command has been drawn to the information that some misguided elements have perfected plans to cause public disorder and conduct themselves in a manner that is likely to cause breach of the peace.

“The command is using this medium to warn such elements to retrace their steps and desist from embarking on any acts of criminality.

“In the same vein, parents are advised to warn their children/wards from being used for acts of illegality.”

Corroborating its Anambra counterpart, the Rivers State Police Command also issued a similar warning, stressing that parents should keep their wards at home or allow them go about their legitimate businesses without breaching the peace.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Francis Odesanya, who issued the warning while speaking to reporters in Port Harcourt on Thursday, said the command would not tolerate any plan to cause a breakdown of law and order.

However, there were indications that there was division in the IPOB concerning the mode of the protest as one of the camps had opted for a stay-at-home in the affected states while the other faction sought a protest march.

But Odesanya described the planned protest by the IPOB and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra as illegal and uncalled for adding that the command would not allow anarchy to reign within its area of control.

“Parents and guardians should better advise their wards to stay away from any act that could breach the peace in Rivers State or go about their business in peace.

“The protest is illegal and uncalled for. We are not going to allow anybody to cause a breakdown of law and order here. The command will not tolerate any act of anarchy anywhere in Rivers State,” he added.