The local media, citing eye witness reports, claimed that 40 people were killed, while over 50 pro-Biafra members were arrested in the commercial city of Onitsha during the protests. . The incident, according to one of the eyewitnesses, began at about 3 a.m. when security forces invaded the premises of a Catholic church in Nkpor Agu, near Onitsha, where pro-Biafrans were camped and allegedly opened fire. Five civilians were estimated to have been killed, while ten others were injured. 35 more deaths were recorded following further swoops on other members of the pro-Biafra group in the commercial city by security forces. Nnamdi kanu was also at national park, South Africa to mark the sit at home order, may 30th 2019. The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, a civil rights group, said its investigation revealed that security operatives shot, killed, picked corpses and buried the victims in unknown places. A statement released by the Nigerian Army claimed it attacked the activists "due to the widespread panic, tension and apprehension generated from the activities of the MASSOB and IPOB members." These killings and intimidation have largely gone unnoticed by the international media despite dominating headlines in the local media, while world leaders have remained mum to the plight of Biafrans. Thus far, few politicians have voiced their concerns about the killings. Former Deputy Leader of the British Labour Party, Harriet Harman, petitioned the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Hammond, for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Nnamdi Kanu, while Amnesty International claims to be working on "consistent" reports of the use of "excessive force" against protesters connected to the pro-Biafran movement. A report by Amnesty International also accuses the Nigerian military of killing at least 17 unarmed Biafran separatists in the city of Onitsha prior to a march on the 30th of May, 2016 commemorating the 49th anniversary of the initial secession of Biafra. The European Union through its High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini had previously said it was in support of the peaceful conduct of a referendum on independence. Reacting to the Biafran Day killings, the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, lamented that “in a democracy people should be entitled to speak their minds and to assemble under responsible circumstances."