Police arrest 53 of 1000 Pro-Biafra agitators marching for Trump in Rivers
- Police in Rivers says it is making arrests over the pro-Trump march held by pro-Biafra agitators in the south-south state
- Reports say about 1000 people protested and the police confirmed arresting 53 of them over the event
- The agitators feel that Trump would help their plight better than Obama even though the 45th American has not spoken extensively about Africa
Police has announced the arrest of at least 53 pro-Biafra agitators that took part in the march for Trump in Rivers
The Rivers state police command says it has arrested 53 Biafra secessionists that were part of the around 1000 that staged a protest march for new American president Donald Trump as he was inaugurated on Friday, January 20.
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Reuters reports that the protesters who were unarmed took to the streets of Port Harcourt, Rivers state’s capital city, shouting ‘Biafra for Trump’ in the belief that the emergence of the new US president would curtail perceived growing influence of Muslim north in Nigeria.
One of the protest leaders and the deputy national coordinator for the Indigenous People of Biafra George gave an insight to the reason for march, saying: “Unlike Obama, Trump is sensitive to people like us ... he being also leader of the greatest free Christian country.
"We believe in his policies and agenda against terrorism, unbridled killings of defenceless people, subjugation and suppression of people across the world by despots.
"Trump is sane and sensitive to people like us ... will listen to our cries and put in a word for us where it matters."
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But the police says it is arresting the protesters for staging the protest. Already 53, it says, have been arrested.
"Arrests have been made - about 53 persons and counting," said Nnamdi Omoni, police spokesman for Rivers state, where the rally took place.
"They have been in processions, singing and dancing along the roads and we are doing our best to contain them because we do not want the situation to degenerate or snowball into something else," said Nnamdi Omoni, police spokesman for Rivers state.
Meanwhile, Omoni also denied reports that the police killed about 11 of the pro-Biafra agitators as claimed by IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful in a statement.
According to Omoni, the police did not open fire on protesters as alleged and nobody died.