Bavaria police in Germany has identified four of the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra who attacked a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in Nuremberg, Germany.
Ekweremadu, a serving senator from Enugu State, was beaten up by some members of IPOB members in Nuremberg on Saturday at an event organised by the “Ndigbo Germany.”
The Nigerian embassy has mounted pressure on the German federal authorities to bring the attackers to justice following the initial reluctance of the state police to investigate the assault which was captured on video.
Under section 102 (1), chapter 3, of the German criminal code, attacks against organs and representatives of foreign states are punishable with fines and imprisonment.
The section states that:
“(1) Whosoever commits an attack against the life or limb of a foreign head of state, member of a foreign government, the head of a foreign diplomatic mission who is accredited in the federal territory while the victim is in Germany in his official capacity shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine, in especially serious cases to imprisonment of not less than one year.
“(2) In addition to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months, the court may order the loss of the ability to hold public office to vote and be elected in public elections (section 45(2) and (5).”
The Cable reported that an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja said that the Bavaria State police had analysed the attack videos and identified four of the suspected attackers.
“I cannot reveal their identities for now because the German authorities are now cooperating with us and investigating the attack,” the official said.
However, IPOB on Thursday insisted that the attack on the senator was well deserved.
In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group accused Ekweremadu of being self-centered.
It said Ekweremadu, being the longest serving senator in the South-East geopolitical zone, had not promoted any legislative advocacy for the good of the area.
The statement read in part, “Enugu, his home state, is besieged on all fronts by Fulani militants. Men, women and children, even priests are being slaughtered on a daily basis. We are yet to hear our distinguished senator speak with clarity on the matter.
“We do not expect Ekweremadu to change Nigeria, but we expect him to voice out our anger and frustration in the enemy Senate.
However, the Igbo Youth Assembly Worldwide has described the attack on Ekweremadu as a wake-up call on Igbo leaders of thought to do the right thing.
The group said this in a statement jointly signed by its President-General, Mazi Ifeanyi Nwaudunna, and the Secretary-General, Mr Casmir Irekamba, in Abuja on Thursday.
The organisation, however, condemned the attack.
“We condemned all these illegal and disordered activities of IPOB as misguided and a play by the enemies of Ndi Igbo to paralyse economic activities of Ndi-Igbo and Nigeria.
“We also express deep concerns over numerous cheap blackmail and name-calling against certain individuals and ethnic groups and President Muhammadu Buhari,” it stated.
