The Biafran Nations League (BnL) has called on the police to release its members.
The group said the police arrested its members in Cross River State.
The group in a statement signed and released on Monday by one Princewill Richard, who claimed to be the national leader of BnL, said the police wrongly captured its members presuming them to be members of the Movement for the Actualisation of State of Biafra (MASSOB).
Naija News learnt that operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, two days ago carried out a raid in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The security agents reportedly arrested all suspected members of Biafra agitating groups, including outlawed MASSOB in the area.
Reacting in the statement, Richard said among those arrested were seven Igbo traders inside a watch repairer shop accused of being MASSOB members.
He noted further that the remaining 17 are BnL members who were arrested in their houses.
The self-proclaimed BnL leader insisted that their arrested members were not involved in any crimes in the state.
He warned that the arrest of its Ejagham-speaking supporters would result in more problems at Ikom, if not handled with care.
The crackdown on pro-Biafra elements in the country continued as the police swept no fewer than 23 suspected members and sympathisers of BnL, IPOB and MASSOB in Ikom town in central Cross River State.
Barely a month ago, Cameroonian forces reportedly killed one of the commanders of BnL in his house near the Bakassi Peninsula.
In retaliation, a week later they claimed responsibility for the blasting of two gunboats in the same area where Nigeria and Cameroon are conducting joint military exercises.
However, in response to the recent development, Richard in the statement said: “Nine of our members were arrested in their houses in Ikom, where we had started our agitation, and we have many followers there.
“They arrested them at a watch repairer shop, while some were picked up in their houses based on a tip-off.
“Those arrested in their houses are our members, but those arrested in the shops are just petty traders. 7 of them are Ibo traders. We don’t know whether they’re BnL or MASSOB but what we know is that they were not having any Biafra insignia, neither were they doing meeting there,” it stated.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the state police command, Irene Ugbo has denied knowledge of the arrest, saying she was yet to be briefed.
