Yesterday in Abuja, a high court ordered the release of Nnamdi Kanu which led to widespread celebrations on the streets in cities where there is an allegiance to the Biafra movement.
Mr Kanu was arrested by the authorities in October after being accused of treason.
He is the director of the banned Radio Biafra and heads the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group.
The court order to free Mr Kanu came after Nigeria’s secret police withdrew criminal charges against him. It is not clear what these were, but may have been related to running a radio station without a licence.
He has however, not been released from detention as the police say they are still investigating his alleged involvement in terrorist activities.
During the celebrations in Onitsha, some police men opened fire on members of the public after they claimed to have been attacked by protesters.
Since Mr Kanu’s arrest, protests in south-east Nigeria and the oil-rich Delta region have increased.
The protesters belong to secessionist groups like IPOB and the Movement for the Actualisation of a Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob) and feel they have been discriminated against by those in power.
The police in Onitsha city said shots were fired after officers were attacked and three people were “feared dead”.
Campaigners claim that five people have been killed.