‘It Was a Massacre’ – Kanu Family to Mark Anniversary of Operation Python Dance

The family of Nnamdi Kanu has announced plans to hold a solemn memorial on February 14 to commemorate victims of a deadly military operation that struck their ancestral home in Afaraukwu Ibeku.

Through his younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, the family described the 2017 raid as “a massacre” and urged both national and international observers to participate in the remembrance ritual “to ensure the tragedy is never forgotten.”

The family said the annual observance will honor defenceless individuals who died during the military incursion carried out by the Nigerian Government as part of the region-wide security exercise known as Operation Python Dance II.

The ceremony will preserve the memory of those who perished in the assault at the residence of Eze Sir Israel Okwubunka Kanu (Egwu 11 of Afaraukwu Ibeku), who later died from trauma linked to the incident.

Operation Python Dance II was launched by the Nigerian Army in 2017 across the South-East geopolitical zone to combat insecurity and banditry. In Afaraukwu Ibeku, however, the operation became highly controversial when soldiers surrounded and raided the family home of the IPOB leader.

Eyewitness accounts described heavy gunfire, sporadic shooting, and soldiers breaking into residences. Local sources reported bullets riddling vehicles and buildings in the compound, shattered windows, and overturned furniture.

Survivors recounted seeing bodies inside the home after the attack, with claims that several corpses were taken away by the soldiers. While the military officially denied targeting any individual’s home, community leaders and family members strongly disputed this, calling for accountability and questioning the legality of assaulting a civilian residence.

In recent years, Nnamdi Kanu has publicly lamented the personal cost of the attack. In August 2025, he recalled how his parents suffered severe trauma from the army assault, leading to their deaths years later.

He said the incident claimed “28 other innocent souls” in addition to the emotional toll on his immediate family.

“The Abuja-based murderers and their accomplices in Igboland who ordered this heinous, cold-blooded massacre of these innocent souls are still peddling their lies against my legitimate right to freely agitate for Biafra,” Kanu had said in a statement issued through his counsel.

The upcoming February 14 ritual is being framed not only as a commemoration of loss but also as a call to the international community “to never forget the massacre of defenceless individuals.”

Organizers are inviting global human rights observers, civil society groups, and community members to join in marking the anniversary. They emphasized the need for accountability and recognition of the suffering endured by families caught up in the operation.

Emmanuel Kanu reiterated longstanding demands for clarity and justice, urging both national authorities and international human rights bodies to investigate the circumstances of the deaths and the broader impact of the military operation on Umuahia and surrounding communities.