Governor Obiano of Anambra State erects cenotaph in Awka in remembrance of Biafran fallen heroes

ANAMBRA State governor Willie Obiano has erected a cenotaph in Awka in remembrance of the dead who died during the Nigerian Civil War on the 30th anniversary of the declaration of the Republic of Biafra.

 

On May 30, Igbos marked Biafra Remembrance day as 30 years in 1967, its former leader Odumegwu Ojukwu declared it as an independent state, triggering a 30-mont civil war. Across southeast Nigeria, the day was marked with a sit-at-home protest that had been called by the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), which is agitating for the recreation of Biafra.

 

To mark the event, Governor Obiano unveiled a transparent cenotaph with the names of all Biafran heroes at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka. Several Igbo leaders have called for the governors of all the other four states across the southeast to follow suit and erect similar cenotaphs.

 

Governor Obiano said: “Without memory, life assumes the attributes of a futile gaze into the void of time. Let’s celebrate the bravery of these great spirits who lost their lives yesterday that we may find peace today.”

 

Ipob leader of Nnamdi Kanu, thanked Biafrans for the success of the sit-at-home protest declared by him and his group. Mr Kanu said the realisation of a Biafra republic was near with the compliance registered by the exercise, describing the level of compliance with the sit-at-home order last Tuesday as satisfactory.

 

He said he was encouraged by the outing, vowing that he would stop at nothing in ensuring that the people of the area were liberated from the stranglehold of their oppressors. Mr Kanu thanked friends of Biafra and lovers of freedom all over the world for their tenacious efforts that made the order a resounding success.

 

"I will not fail to thank road transporters workers, teachers, civil servants, market leaders, artisans, clergymen, businessmen, traders, okada/tricycle drivers, school children, parents and all the Biafraland, transport owners, women organisations, community leaders, youths leaders in every community, wheel barrow/truck pushers, and politicians who defied every odd and pressure from Aso Rock to make our sit-at-home order a memorable and resounding historical event,” Mr Kanu said.

 

Meanwhile, South East Peoples’ Assembly (Sepa) has asked the federal high court in Abuja to revoke the bail granted to Mr Kanu. In a letter to the chief judge of the federal high court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, Sepa president Prince Chukwuemeka Okorie, the group said it was shocked to note that Mr Kanu has continued to conduct himself in a manner considered totally at variance with the terms and conditions of the bail, which, amongst other things indicated that he must not hold rallies, grant interviews or be in a crowd of more than 10 people.

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