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Slaughter at National High School Aba: Nigerian Security Forces Killed Peaceful IPOB members During Prayer Rally

In the morning of February 9 2016, the Nigerian security forces, led by the military, embarked on a chilling campaign of extrajudicial execu...


In the morning of February 9 2016, the Nigerian security forces, led by the military, embarked on a chilling campaign of extrajudicial executions and violence at National High Secondary School in Aba, Abia State, where the members of Indigenous People of Biafra had gathered observing prayers. They had only their Bibles and the Biafran Flags with them, singing and dancing to religious songs. They were not armed because they were not breaking any law, nor were they expecting War from any angle.

They had barely reached the midpoint of their prayers when, around noon, a Joint Force of Nigerian security operatives stormed the premises of National High School, Aba. Without warning, the forces opened fire, shooting sporadically into the crowd of peaceful IPOB members gathered to pray for the release of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Panic erupted instantly. In the chaos, worshippers scrambled to escape, but the speed and coordination of the heavily armed security personnel, arriving in over 20 vans, overwhelmed them. Many were gunned down on the spot, among them young students, elderly bystanders, and unarmed men and women.

The scene was one of horror: bodies strewn across the school grounds, cries of the wounded echoing through the air. Some managed to flee, but many were not so fortunate. The Joint Forces swiftly evacuated the corpses, rounded up the wounded, and detained those unable to escape, leaving behind a traumatized community and unanswered questions. 

The brutal crackdown which occurred during a non-violent prayer gathering drew widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and civil society groups. It remains one of the darkest moments in the Biafran self-determination struggle.

Fortunately, amid the chaos and gunfire, the IPOB Media Team took a courageous risk, taking cover under live fire to document the unfolding tragedy. Their footage, later released online, captured the entire sequence of events: from the arrival of the heavily armed Joint Forces in over 20 trucks, to the indiscriminate shooting, the panic-stricken crowd, and the evacuation of corpses and detainees.

The videos and photos, which were widely circulated, show Nigerian military and police forces barging into the school premises, opening fire on unarmed civilians who were simply gathered to pray. The images are harrowing: bodies lying motionless, blood-stained school grounds, and terrified survivors fleeing for their lives.

There were several Eyewitness who saw that carnage. One of them, a resident who witnessed the massacre, said;

"We heard the gunshots and saw people running everywhere. They didn't even wait to ask questions; they just started shooting. Some of the people killed were not even part of the protest. One boy was shot at the back while trying to climb the school fence."

Another eyewitness, a woman who lost her younger brother, said; 

"He went there just to watch. He wasn't even a member of IPOB. Now he's gone for no reason. Is this how we live in a Democracy?"

Government Response

Initially, Nigerian security agencies denied any wrongdoing, claiming they acted to prevent a "threat to public peace" and labelled the protest as illegal. However, the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians violates both Nigerian laws and international human rights standards. To date, no security personnel have been held accountable, and the federal government has not launched any official investigation, further deepening the sense of injustice and impunity.

The incident has drawn condemnation from human rights groups, local civil society organizations, and the international community. Amnesty International and other NGOs have called for a comprehensive investigation and demanded justice for the victims.

Amnesty International said:


"It is chilling to see how these soldiers gunned down peaceful IPOB members. The video evidence shows that this was a military operation with the intent to kill and injure," said Makmid Kamara. 
"In many of the incidents detailed in the report, including the Aba High School protest, the military applied tactics designed to kill and neutralize an enemy, rather than to ensure public order at a peaceful event".

Intersociety, a human rights organization, investigated the massacre and reported its findings in a letter to the Minister of Defense and Security Chiefs, entitled: "Pictures & Video Clips Of How Nigerian Military Massacred 22 Unarmed IPOB Members & Dumped 13 Of Them In Aba Borrow Pit: Why Security Chiefs Must Desist From Provoking More Insurgencies Capable Of Plunging Nigeria Into Syrian Style Violence",

Intersociety reported visiting the Borrow Pit in Aba, where they discovered the corpses of 13 IPOB members allegedly dumped by Nigerian security forces. The group confirmed that 22 unarmed civilians were killed, many while praying peacefully, and that video and photographic evidence captured by IPOB's Media Team corroborated the sequence of events—from the arrival of the Joint Forces to the evacuation of bodies and detainees.

In what they identified as facts-laden letter copied to National Security Adviser, NSA, Retired Gen Babagana Mungono; Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Hon Justice Mahmud Mohammed; Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase; Attorney General of the Federation & Minister for Justice, AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN); United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon; United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein; United Nations Chief Repertoire on Extra Judicial Killings, Prof Christof Heyns; European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Ms Federica Morgherini; Head/African Research Group & Deputy Head/Research Analyst,

UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Dr. Clare Thomas; Head, Political Section of the US Embassy in Nigeria; and Head, Political Section of the UK High Commission in Nigeria, the coalition also alleged that the soldiers of the 144 Battalion in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State, joined by personnel of the Abia State Police Command and the Finance & Logistics Command of the Nigerian Navy in Owerre-Nta in Abia State had on of February 9, 2016 stormed the premises of the National High School in Aba and opened fire at members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB who gathered in their hundreds to hold prayer/meeting."

The gruesome murder

SBCHROs further alleged in the letter that the security forces shot and killed 22 IPOB members and critically injured over 30, adding that the IPOB members had gathered in the school on account of suggestion made to them by the same Abia State Police Command and other security heads during their previous meetings to "restrict their processions, rallies or protests to public places other than streets and roads so as not to attract the attention and violent reactions of the Federal Government".

In the letter jointly signed on their behalf by heads of the various human rights groups, the coalition identified the 22 murdered citizens or IPOB members in the said Aba Prayer/Meeting of February 9, 2016, among whom were Uche Friday (30yrs), from Asa in Abia State; Emeka Ekpemandu (35yrs), from Owerre Nkwoji in Imo State; Chiavoghi Chibuikem (Obingwa in Abia State); Nzubechi Onwumere (Orlu in Imo State); Peter Chinemerem Ukasoanya (27yrs), from Isialangwa North in Abia State, Chigozie Cyril Nwoye (23yrs), from Umuna in Ezeagu, Enugu State.

Others, they further identified, were Chukwudi Onyekwere (26 years), from Aboh Mbaise in Imo State and Chibuzor Maduagwu (28 years), from Amauzari in Mbano, Imo State, adding that the remaining eight dead bodies of murdered IPOB members and five critically injured others at the point of death were taken away by soldiers of 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army who a colonel commanded.

The coalition recalled that Abia State Police Command had earlier admitted to shooting and killing two IPOB members ("for disturbing students of the National High School in Aba"), adding that the Command is presently and officially in possession of the two dead IPOB members it shot and killed.

In the letter, the coalition alleged that the Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Abia State Command, headed by CP Habila Hosea; aided by Aba Area Commander, ACP Peter Nwagbara and joined by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Command (Finance & Logistics Command), Owerre-Nta in Abia State had on the feteful day, shot and killed 22 unarmed, innocent and non violent members of the IPOB at the National High School along Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Abia State, adding that the security forces had stormed the School on the said date in over ten Hilux vans at about 12: noon.

"Over 30 other members of the IPOB were also shot and critically injured at the scene. Out of the 22 murdered citizens, eight were identified after the shooting and killing spree by other members of the IPOB and sympathizers; some of them died on their way to the hospital following excessive bleeding and excruciating pains. Two of the 22 murdered IPOB members were taken away by the Abia State Police Command, and the remaining eight, alongside five critically injured others, were packed in two military trucks and taken away by soldiers.

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), numbering in the hundreds, gathered peacefully and nonviolently at the National High School premises for their prayers and meeting. Approximately 30 minutes into their prayer procession, soldiers from the 144 Battalion, numbering more than 15, along with police and naval personnel, surrounded and barricaded the IPOB members, cordoning off the area. Shortly thereafter, the soldiers opened fire on the IPOB members, while the police and naval personnel joined in by firing harmful chemical substances at them.

Before the shooting, the coordinators of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were intercepted and taken away, along with some married women. Among those who were arrested and taken into custody were Ikechukwu Ugwuoha, the Abia State IPOB Coordinator; Amos Ezekiel, the Imo State Coordinator; Okechukwu Nnebedum Nkume, the Abia State Welfare Officer; Donatus Okeke, the Abia State Zonal Coordinator; and Joseph Okolie, one of the principal officers of the group in Rivers State.

How corpses were discovered in a borrow pit


"On Saturday, February 13, 2016, some scavengers reported to one of the Aba units coordinators of IPOB that they saw some dead bodies in a borrow pit located along Aba Port Harcourt Road. The Borrow Pit was recently converted to a refuse dump by the Government of Abia State. On receiving the report on Saturday morning, the IPOB members moved to the area where they saw 13 dead bodies battered and shrunk with decimating chemical substances. The 13 murdered citizens must have included those taken away alive by soldiers who were battered with gunshots. They were laid face down with their eyes tied and covered."

"Eight of them were dumped together, while another three were dumped separately; likewise, the remaining two. Shockingly, eight of the gruesomely murdered corpses have their hands tied individually behind their backs with Biafran flags. The "Biafran flags" used in tying them were carefully cut into lengths and then made into ropes, which were used to tie them separately. The flags were parts of items and personal belongings seized and taken away by soldiers at the scene of the bloody shooting on February 9 2016, at the National High School in Aba."

"All the 13 murdered and dumped IPOB members have their hands tied behind their backs and their bodies lacerated with gunshot holes. The chemical substances poured on them shrank and made them look old and taller than their normal heights; all to erase traces and defy easy facial and bodily identifications. Some pathologists and cottage medical experts contacted by Inter-society disclosed that the chemical substances used by killer soldiers of 144 Battalion must have contained a mixture of raw acid and embalming chemical substances to make the corpses shrink, old and odourless."

Social media was abuzz, flooded with hashtags like #AbaMassacre, #JusticeForBiafrans and #BloodbathAtHighSchoolAba.

Prominent Igbo leaders have also spoken out, accusing the Federal Government of targeting the Southeast with excessive military Force. "This is not just a Security Operation, it's a deliberate attack on our people." How long will this go on?" Quizzed a local traditional ruler.

The Larger Context

The tragedy at National High School is part of a broader pattern of alleged military crackdowns on pro-Biafran movements in the Southeast. From Operation Python Dance to multiple incidents in cities like Onitsha, Enugu, and Owerri, many communities have faced violence simply for expressing political or ethnic identity. The Aba massacre is child's play when compared with what happened at Nkpor three months after.

In Conclusion,

What happened at National High School in Aba is a heartbreaking reminder of Nigeria's fragile unity and the need for justice, accountability, and national dialogue. No citizen should be killed for expressing their identity or political views. The blood of innocent Biafrans spilt on school grounds should not be forgotten. It must become a rallying point for Truth, Healing, and Freedom.

Written by

Mazi Chinemerem

Edited by 

Oby M

For Abia State Media Team

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