Protesters in Port Harcourt
By Emmanuel Obe
Traffic and other activities were held up for several hours along the Aba Road and other arterial roads like Azikiwe, Ikwerre and Station roads in Port Harcourt, River State following street protests by supporters of the embattled Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu who was arrested two days ago by operatives of the Directorate of State Service, was granted bail on Monday by a Lagos court where he is standing trial.
The protesters carried placards and sang Biafra solidarity songs as they marched from Rumuola Junction to Lagos Bus Stop in the heart of the old Port Harcourt Township.
The disorderly nature of their conduct caused panic and pandemonium in the oil city before a combined team of soldiers, policemen and operatives of the DSS dispersed them.
Journalists and curious residents, who tried to keep pace with the protesters, suffered the effects of teargas used on the protesters.
The protesters who organised themselves under the aegis of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) said they were not only asking for the release of Kanu, they were also protesting the alleged marginalisation of the Igbo in Nigeria.
“We are in solidarity march for the release of our leader, Nnamdi Kanu. At the same time, we are using the same avenue to state that we are now on our own,” said Ikechukwu Nnadi, one of the leading protesters.
Another protester, John Onwuchekwa said, “I am protesting because people are suffering. We are not happy that the Nigerian nation does not encourage people to fully harness their potential.”
“My children cannot go to school (because of) high school fees. No employment. We are suffering,” said a middle-aged woman spotted among the protesters.
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