Nigeria’s army has dismissed a report from the rights group Amnesty International that it brutally suppressed a celebration held by supporters of a separate state for Biafra.
The group said it received reports alleging that at least 40 people were killed and more than 50 other injured when the separatists held commemoration events in Onitsha, southeast Nigeria last month.
Amnesty said it has gathered evidence that the Nigerian military opened fire on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) supporters and bystanders at three different places.
In its statement, the army says that Ipob members “engaged in violent protests which were featured with outright disregard for law and order”.
It adds that the security forces acted to restore order.