By Vincent Ujumadu
Awka- THE disaffection among members of the Movement for the Actualization of
the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has taken a new dimension with a faction
that emerged from the group accusing its leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike of
sabotaging the activities of MASSOB.
The accusation was a fall out of ugly incidents that took place during last week’s
celebration of the 16th anniversary of MASSOB in which several members of the
group were arrested by security operatives while attending church services to mark
the event in various towns in the South East.
MASSOB director of information, Mr. Uchenna Madu said weekend that having
endured so much, the group would soon expose what he described as the
insensitivity of Ralph Uwazuruike’s leadership of his MASSOB faction.
Madu said: “We sympathize with the brainwashed and hypnotized members of
Uwazuruike’s faction who died and those detained during the celebration of 16 years
anniversary of MASSOB, while their leader, Ralph Uwazuruike was dinning with his
friends.
“After the police invasion of Uwazuruike’s residence opposite Ojukwu Memorial
Library at Okwe, Imo State, and arrested some MASSOB security men, Uwazuruike
went to Umuahia on a special visit to the Assistant Inspector General of Police in
charge of Zone 9 where he assured the police that his MASSOB does not aim to
break Nigeria, or cause trouble and violence against the Buhari administration.
“To further convince the AIG, Ralph Uwazuruike informed him that he signed a
Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, in September 2013 with Al Mustapha, Alhaji
Asari Dokubo, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun and Alhaji Yerima Sani to refrain from any
activities that will affect the oneness of Nigeria.”
According to him, it after his assurance to the police that MASSOB would not hold
the anniversary, that Uwazuruike was released.
Madu said further that Uwazurike later fled to Lagos without telling his members to
call off the anniversary, adding that it was this insensitivity towards the lives of the
members that resulted in the deaths and detention of some MASSOB members.
He spoke further: “If Ralph Uwazuruike is a selfless leader who has the interest of his
members at heart and who still believes in MASSOB programmes and possibility of
Biafra actualization, which church did he attend for the thanksgiving? Why was it
that he did not attend any church in Igboland to celebrate the 16 years anniversary
of MASSOB struggle to actualize Biafra?”
He said that though MASSOB has existed for 16 years, it has not achieved anything
tangible adding, “rather what we have been seeing were avoidable and unnecessary
deaths and detention of our comrades who still believe in Uwazuruike’s Biafra”.
Vowing that MASSOB would soon start probing Uwazurike, Madu regretted that many
members of the group, who were victims of the struggle, were still either in
mortuaries, or detained in police cells and Nigeria prisons, with their leader
(Uwazurike) caring less.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/16th-anniversary-massob-accuses-uwazurike-of-sabotage-vows-to-probe-him/
Awka- THE disaffection among members of the Movement for the Actualization of
the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has taken a new dimension with a faction
that emerged from the group accusing its leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike of
sabotaging the activities of MASSOB.
The accusation was a fall out of ugly incidents that took place during last week’s
celebration of the 16th anniversary of MASSOB in which several members of the
group were arrested by security operatives while attending church services to mark
the event in various towns in the South East.
MASSOB director of information, Mr. Uchenna Madu said weekend that having
endured so much, the group would soon expose what he described as the
insensitivity of Ralph Uwazuruike’s leadership of his MASSOB faction.
Madu said: “We sympathize with the brainwashed and hypnotized members of
Uwazuruike’s faction who died and those detained during the celebration of 16 years
anniversary of MASSOB, while their leader, Ralph Uwazuruike was dinning with his
friends.
“After the police invasion of Uwazuruike’s residence opposite Ojukwu Memorial
Library at Okwe, Imo State, and arrested some MASSOB security men, Uwazuruike
went to Umuahia on a special visit to the Assistant Inspector General of Police in
charge of Zone 9 where he assured the police that his MASSOB does not aim to
break Nigeria, or cause trouble and violence against the Buhari administration.
“To further convince the AIG, Ralph Uwazuruike informed him that he signed a
Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, in September 2013 with Al Mustapha, Alhaji
Asari Dokubo, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun and Alhaji Yerima Sani to refrain from any
activities that will affect the oneness of Nigeria.”
According to him, it after his assurance to the police that MASSOB would not hold
the anniversary, that Uwazuruike was released.
Madu said further that Uwazurike later fled to Lagos without telling his members to
call off the anniversary, adding that it was this insensitivity towards the lives of the
members that resulted in the deaths and detention of some MASSOB members.
He spoke further: “If Ralph Uwazuruike is a selfless leader who has the interest of his
members at heart and who still believes in MASSOB programmes and possibility of
Biafra actualization, which church did he attend for the thanksgiving? Why was it
that he did not attend any church in Igboland to celebrate the 16 years anniversary
of MASSOB struggle to actualize Biafra?”
He said that though MASSOB has existed for 16 years, it has not achieved anything
tangible adding, “rather what we have been seeing were avoidable and unnecessary
deaths and detention of our comrades who still believe in Uwazuruike’s Biafra”.
Vowing that MASSOB would soon start probing Uwazurike, Madu regretted that many
members of the group, who were victims of the struggle, were still either in
mortuaries, or detained in police cells and Nigeria prisons, with their leader
(Uwazurike) caring less.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/16th-anniversary-massob-accuses-uwazurike-of-sabotage-vows-to-probe-him/
