not peaceful and that the lives and properties of citizens in the protest areas were threatened.
“In the words of one of the governors that met with the Board ‘the IPOB may have set out to have a peaceful protest, however, criminals infiltrated their ranks and turned these protests into violent ones’.
“In particular, the board found that IPOB members converged at Onitsha on 29 May 2016 to mark the anniversary of the declaration of the Sovereign State of Biafra.
“The Board also found that the IPOB members occupied the Niger bridgehead, stopping free flow of traffic and threatened to blow it up.
“That it was the inability of the Nigeria Police to enforce law and order that led to the deployment of the military.
“The Board found that there was a joint operation of the police and the NA to contain the protesters on all the days when there were protests.
“The Board notes the statement of governors and senior officials interviews revealed that there were no reports of any killings by the military on any of the days of the protests and they had no information of 13 persons allegedly buried in a shallow grave along the Aba-Port Harcourt expressway.
“The Board notes that the statement of the gateman at the National High School, Aba, who testified that he heard gunshots and stated that he saw one person fall to the ground. He could not recollect what happened to that person,” Angbazo said.
He stressed that the board also interacted with the Anambra State governor, state Commissioner of Police, State Director of DSS and some residents.
“They testified that no one was killed during the incident at Onitsha bridgehead.
However, the police report showed that 14 people were arrested on the day,” he said.
On North-East, Angbazo quoted copiously from the report of Amnesty International, stating: “The Board observed that in all AI reports on the human rights situation in Nigeria, specifically as it concerns military operations in the North-east, allegations of human rights violations were made against units, formations and personnel of the NA in general.
“However, in its report, reference above, specific mention was made against certain senior officers who Amnesty International believed should be investigated for the war crimes of murder, enforced disappearance and torture.
‘During this period, AI documented arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention of thousands of people in inhumane conditions, the deaths in custody of large numbers of detainees, and extrajudicial executions by top the command. Maj.-Gen. Ahmadu Mohammed was the Commander 7 Div from 24 Feb till 16 May (year not given).
“During this period, AI documented arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention of thousands of people in inhumane conditions, the deaths in custody of large numbers of detainees, and extrajudicial executions under his command.
“He was in charge of military operations when the military executed more than 640 detainees who escaped from Giwa barracks after a Boko Haram attack.
“Maj.-Gen. Austin O. Edokpayi was Commander of the MNJTF based in Baga from at least Apr 13 until Dec 13 (year not given), where Nigerian soldiers were responsible for arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention, the extrajudicial executions of more than 185 people on Apr 13, and death in custody at the Baga detention facility.
“Brig.-Gen. RO Bamigboye (rtd) was commander of the
