The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Tuesday held rallies across parts of the South-East to express solidarity with former United States President, Donald Trump, while renewing calls for the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The rallies, tagged “Trump Solidarity Rally,” took place simultaneously in Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi states.
DAILY POST recalls that IPOB had organised similar rallies in support of Trump during his first term as US President. In 2017, some IPOB members were reportedly killed during a confrontation with soldiers at a Trump solidarity rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The latest demonstrations come amid claims by the Nigerian government that IPOB supporters are responsible for promoting the narrative of alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, a development said to have influenced the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by the United States during Trump’s administration.
The narrative had also been linked to US airstrikes on Christmas Day against terrorist enclaves in North-West Nigeria, following threats of military action by Trump over alleged killings of Christians.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the rallies were peaceful and partly held in remembrance of those killed during the 2017 Port Harcourt incident.
According to the statement, youths, women and elders participated in large numbers, carrying placards, banners and photographs of Nnamdi Kanu, while demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
Powerful said participants insisted that Kanu’s continued detention remains a major source of tension and instability in the South-East. They also called for an independent investigation into the 2017 Port Harcourt killings and the worsening insecurity in the region.
IPOB reiterated that all its activities are peaceful and lawful, urging security agencies to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly. The group also appealed to the international community to pay attention to what it described as the deteriorating human rights situation in the South-East.
Nnamdi Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted on terrorism-related charges by the Nigerian government, a verdict IPOB and his legal team have described as unlawful.
