Biafra Activists Ask Ndigbos To Boycott General Election Over Continued Detention Of Its Leaders

FROM IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu – The Biafra Zionists Federation, BZF, has urged Ndigbo to boycott the forthcoming general polls scheduled for March 28 and April 11, 2015, following the continued detention of its leader, Barrister Benjamin Onwuka, and some other of their members by the federal government.

According to the organisation, its call became necessary in lieu of the refusal of a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu to grant bail to 11 pro-Biafra activists, who are standing treason trial.

Addressing newsmen in Enugu on Sunday, national chairman of BZF, Comrade Onyia Cyril, stated that any harm done to the detained BZF members was a harm on the entire Ndigbo.

He, therefore, called on the entire people of South-East Nigeria, not to participate in the election as a show of solidarity to the detained activists.

“They have been in prison custody not because they are pursuing a selfish course but for the singular reason that they are demanding the liberation of Ndigbo.

“To this end, we urge all worthy Igbo sons and daughters not to participate in the forth-coming elections; this is the only honour they should do to these great patriots”.

Onyia who faulted the reasons given by the court, noted that “it is indeed very surprising that the court refused them bail on the grounds that they may cause security breach within this period;

He said: ” It is surprising because the BZF does not believe in violence, neither does it associate with any violent group. We can never disrupt any election, even though we shall abstain from voting”.

“So, we are calling on the Federal Government to urgently intervene and see that these harmless freedom fighters are released.

“In our fight for freedom, we have never and will never take up arms against the State. Everything we are doing is within the armbit of all international laws and treaties”, he added.

Onyia also called on the Amnesty International and the United Nations to urgently intervene into what he called “the use of Federal might and power against lawful Biafrans”.

African Examiner reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu had last Thursday refused to grant the bail application filed on behalf of the BZF leader, Barr. Benjamin Onwuka and 10 others by their lawyer, Olu Omotayo Esq.