Awka – There was widespread violence and incidents of arson and destruction of public and private property today in the commercial city of Onitsha and industrial town of Nnewi both in Anambra State, over the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The trial was scheduled to resume on Monday, 26th of July, 2021, after the IPOB leader was rearrested in Kenya last month.
Kanu, who was remanded in the custody of the Department of State Security, is appearing before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He may likely face an eleven-count charge of treason, treasonable felony, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms.
The accused, who was granted bail by Justice Nyako in 2017, fled Nigeria to the UK same year but was reportedly re-arrested on June 29, 2021 outside Nigeria and was also arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja the same day.
Reports from the court room say DSS has barred journalists and lawyers from accessing the courtroom for the IPOB leader’s trial.
Meanwhile, there is ongoing protests at various parts of Anambra over the IPOB leader’s trial.
On Sunday, announcements had circulated for every Southeasterner to sit at home, in solidarity with the IPOB leader over his travails.
TNC correspondent in Anambra reports that IPOB members had set bonfires and blocked major roads into and out of the state.
At Nnewi, a Lagos-bound Sienna bus was destroyed and the passengers dispersed for insisting to disobey the directive.
in other parts of the state, where there were no violence, public offices, business premises among others were totally shut down.
One of the protesters was heard saying they are protesting the trial of the IPOB leader by the Federal Government, alleging that the Buhari-administration has through the Nnamdi Kanu saga, shown his hatred for the Southeast.
“Very soon, they will come with armoured tanks and military personnel to crush us. But we are undeterred. Our right to self-determination is sacrosanct and must be respected, especially in a country where nepotism and corruption has become the order of the day,” he said.
