Police arrest 17 MASSOB members in Owerri
The police in Owerri on Monday arrested some 17 members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) for holding a road show in commemoration of 49th anniversary of Biafra.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the arrests, said those arrested would be prosecuted.
The MASSOB members began the march at Waterside Primary School, Owerri, from where they moved to Rotibi Street to Oguamana Street before linking Douglas Road.
At Douglas Road the marchers met heavily armed security men, who threw teargas at them at Ama JK end of the street and arrested some.
Mr Okechukwu Nwogu, a leader of MASSOB, said it was regrettable that the police arrested members of the group who were on a peaceful march to commemorate the 49th anniversary of Biafra and 17th anniversary of MASSOB.
“What Nigeria government is doing to us is very unfair; MASSOB is a non-violent group moving without arms in remembrance of our history.
`Nwogu called on Igbo leaders to come out and speak for Igbo people being unjustly treated by security forces.
Earlier Chief Canice Anojuru, the spokesman for MASSOB in Owerri zone, said the group decided to hold the road show to awaken the consciousness of the people of the defunct Biafra.
Anojuru said the road show was to draw the attention of international community to the plight of Biafra people.
He added that the group had achieved a lot despite obvious challenges.
On the recent invasion of Nimbo community in Enugu state by suspected Fulani herdsmen, the group advised the people of south-east to be more vigilant to forestall future attacks in the area.
“As a group, we frown at the rate at which human beings were killed and maimed, farmlands destroyed, women raped, and buildings razed by these Fulani herdsmen.
“We are calling on all people of Southeast area to be more vigilant and extra careful over this recent development,’’ Anojuru said.
The group advised people of the area to be careful in engaging people whose identity were not clear to them as security men, gardeners and house-keepers.
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3 Comments
Be fair but firm with anyone who seek to destabilise our country. Meanwhile, we should be shown the pictures of misery that waits any nation whose citizens choose anarchy and lawlessness. Pictures if miserable and emaciated Biafrans and Syrians should serve to remind these criminals of the consequences of conflicts. None of these baboons will be immune from the fallout in the event of another Biafran war of secession.
Gentleman,,, the report above stated that it was a peaceful procession. No sane nation persecutes citizens on peaceful road shows except of course communist or military juntas. I surely dont think we belong to the former and as for the latter , your comments hint somehow that you see the system unconsciously as a junta!. The best thing would have been to disperse the peaceful crowd if deemed unruly or provide police escorts but when you officially veer into operational police corresponding lawlessness it is an open licence that forces them into desperate acts. By any means possible
Mazi Kester, i am an Igbo man to the core and a Biafran completely. No Igbo man who witnessed the war will tell you he does not have sympathy for Biafra and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the symbol of the Biafran agitation. First point to note however is that any agitation for Biafra and the pronouncement of Biafran State without consideration of the law of the land is illegal and unacceptable and as far as you people continue to go about it the way you are, we may continue to lose lives and may end up achieving nothing. You can not have a state in a state. But truly have we been wronged as Ibos? The answer is YES. We must come together to start pressing on the government the need to be fair on the Ibos with some specific requests that must be met to keep us in this federation. We must make it clear that the failure in meeting this requests connotes that we are no more comfortable in Nigeria and like God told The Egyptian Pharaoh through Moses to let the Israelites GO, we will tell Nigeria, LET MY PEOPLE, THE BIAFRANS GO. Let us take it step by step. The Nigerian army and the
leadership are blood thirsty and we should not give them any reason or opportunity to massacre us again.
We will review and take appropriate action.