A pan-Igbo group, the Ala-Igbo Development Foundation (ADF), has condemned in totality the Police invasion of the home of lawyer to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, and called for an investigation to unravel the culprits.

A statement issued on December 9 by ADF signed by the Chairman, Publicity Bureau, Hon Abia Onyike, said: “After a careful and critical review of the police invasion of the home of Barr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the IPOB lawyer in Ifite-Oraifite Community in Ekwusigo LGA of Anambra State, which led to arson and vandalisation of property as well as the brutalization and killing of innocent citizens, wishes to state as follows:

“That the police action executed on Monday, December 2, 2019, under the guise of looking for Barr. Ejiofor was an unnecessary act of impunity which only succeeded in visiting mayhem on the community instead of promoting law and order in the area, which should be the primary mandate of the police force.

“The Federal Government and the Inspector-General of Police should set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of such a vicious act of carnage and violence in the ancestral home/ private residence of a legal practitioner and the entire community.

“If indeed Barr. Ejiofor had an appointment with senior police officers over an issue, having to do with two factions of the community’s masquerade society, why did the police officers pre-empt the meeting fixed for 11 o’clock in the morning and invaded the community with, as we are made to understand, lorry loads of armed policemen and other militia?

“The senior police officers who led the illegal and lawless operation and masterminded the sporadic shootings and killings should be held responsible for the loss of innocent lives in the whole episode.”

The statement affirmed that the claim in some circles that the Police acted aggressively because of the position of Barrister Ejiofor as the IPOB lawyer provides some clue as to why there was an utter disregard of the rules engagement by the police and resort to brutal suppression and killings of innocent Igbo citizens, it said, adding “tragically this has become the lot of Igbo citizens and communities since the era of invasion of Alaigbo began.

According to IDF, “The World needs to be told by the Nigerian Police what Barr. Ejiofor did to warrant such a massive brutal invasion of his private residence which snow-balled into a communal invasion.

“Ndigbo should no longer continue folding their hands when the Federal Government, her army and security forces as well as the insurgent herdsmen have invaded and occupied Alaigbo, terrorizing, killing and brutalizing her citizens.

“ADF calls on those working for and representing the interest of Ndigbo, especially pan-Igbo organizations to institute a collective inquiry into the Oraifite Mayhem and publish same the world.

“Meanwhile we should congratulate all those who have the courage and Igbo patriotic spirit to spend their private resources to provide us factual details on the series of repressive actions of the forces of the Federal Authorities.

“In this case we must congratulate the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rue of Law – INTERSOCIETY – for their painstaking research which has provided us a lot of insight into the current Oraifite Mayhem.”

Update news