The business community of Onitsha, Anambra State has started recovering from the effect of last week’s pro-Biafra violent protests that left nine people dead and property worth millions of naira destroyed. After the Wednesday’s mayhem in the city and the subsequent dismantling of the barricade used by the protesters to block the Bridge Head and other entry points in Onitsha,indication emerged that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, were regrouping on Thursday to begin another round of violent demonstration.
This was, however, aborted following the beefing up of security in the area. For instance, several truck loads of soldiers, from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, were seen heading to Onitsha on Thursday and this, perhaps, scared the organizers of the protests. Hundreds of the IPOB agitators, who gathered at one location in Onitsha, had to hurriedly disperse for fear of arrests.
The suspension of the protest, however, does not mean the agitation is over.
For now, the agitators have resorted to the use of the social media to whip up sentiments and gather more support for what they described as impending referendum on Biafra. One of the messages that have hit the media is entitled, ‘The Biafra question: A case for self-determination referendum.’