Sixteen different groups with bases in the
south-western part of Nigeria have backed the Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) as the latter plans a massive protest for Friday, September 19, 2016 to
call attention to the continued detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The groups are fusing under the aegis of Centre for Human
Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) and have said they are throwing their weights
behind the open protest.
The groups include: The Christian Awareness Mission
Group(CAMG), Passengers Fundamental Rights Group (PATRGIA), The Islamic
Political Awareness Group (TIPAG), Centre for Social Justice and Equity of
Nigeria(CESJEN), Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State
(CSCEOS), Veteran Groups for Operation Clean Crusade (VGOCC), Apata-Aiyeraye
Social Political Volunteer Group (ASPVG), De-Mainstream Independent Group
(DMIG) and the Coalition Against Illegal Arrest & Unlawful Detention
(CAIA&UD).
Others are
the Centre for Constitutional Rights and Counter Corruption Crusader, Save
Lagos Group (SLG), The Conscience Mainstream (TCM), African Masses Voices for
Survival (AMVS), The Christians Youths for the Peoples’ Rights and Development
(CYPRD), Islamic Movement for Muslims’ Rights (IMMR), Divine Nigerians
Liberators for Peoples’ Fundamental Rights (DNLPFR) and The Christians
Volunteers Groups for Good Governance in Nigeria (TCVGGGN).
Kanu has been in
detention for many months now. While members of IPOB and the 16 groups claim
that the detention of Kanu was illegal and unconstitutional and must be
stopped at all cost, some other Nigerians think he has remained in detention
because of his constant change of lawyers.
IPOB said it was
preparing for the mass protest and urged Igbo people and all those who
believed in the Biafra ideology in the country to sit at home and shutdown
their businesses and phones on Friday, September 23, in protest against the
alleged illegal detention of Kanu.
The coordinating
leader for the 16 groups, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, said in a
statement made available to NAIJ.com, that they support the proposed peaceful
protest to be embarked upon by the members of the IPOB to pressurise the government
to unconditionally release Kanu from custody.
The
groups condemned Kanu’s detention stating that this was against the
principles of democracy that gives the citizens freedom to assemble and express
their opinions without hindrance.
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CHRSJ
called on all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and the diaspora to guard against “using brute force of the
despotic days of military era on innocent citizens of the country.”
The group said the
proposed protest as welcome development in right direction.
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