Southeast shutdown as Biafra marks 50 years

Shops, schools and businesses were shut in south-east Nigeria, on Tuesday, 50 years to the day since an independent Republic of Biafra was declared, sparking a brutal civil
war.

In Onitsha, the economic hub of Anambra State on the banks of the River Niger, most markets were closed and the streets were largely empty of people and traffic.

Separatist sentiment persists in the region, which is dominated by the Igbo people, and the main pro-Biafran independence group has called on supporters to stay at home.

“No work today, we are Biafran, we are not Nigerians,” said Ebere Ichukwu Eli, one of the few people to venture outside, where there was a visible security presence.

“No violence, it is a peaceful sit at home. We are protesting peacefully,” the 47-year-old told AFP.

A woman who gave her name only as Justine, said: “The market is closed today. I’m just going home to stay with my children.

“We want our one Biafra. It’s our land. That’s why we all sit at home today.”

The closures were either to commemorate the anniversary in support or because of fears of violence, local people said.

Nigerian police last week denounced “planned protests and order of market closures” and warned it would “deal decisively” with any breach of the peace or unlawful protest.

Last year, demonstrations marking the declaration of Biafran independence turned bloody. Amnesty International said the military gunned down more than 60 people.

Since August 2015, more than 150 people have been killed in pro-Biafra protests, said Amnesty’s Nigeria director Osai Ojigho. Nigeria’s government denies the claim.