Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
News  

MASSOB counters Buhari, sure of UN referendum on Biafra

By Kodilinye Obiagwu and Lawrence Njoku (Enugu), Leo Sobechi (Lagos), Gordi Udeajah (Umuahia) and Nnamdi Akpa (Abakaliki)
18 November 2015   |   2:53 am
MOVEMENT for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), yesterday disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari over his statement that Nigeria was indivisible, describing it as his ‘personal opinion.’
Massob protest in Port Harcourt... last week

Massob protest in Port Harcourt… last week

MOVEMENT for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), yesterday disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari over his statement that Nigeria was indivisible, describing it as his ‘personal opinion.’

The Movement also boasted that the United Nations (UN) would conduct a referendum for Biafrans to decide on the popularity and acceptance of their cause. The group took a swipe at the military’s decision to quell pro-Biafra protests, just as the South East governors enjoined the protesters to tow the line of peace.

But the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Enugu, Brig-General Ibrahim Attahiru yesterday re-emphasised the warning against insecurity which the Division issued on Monday to pro-Biafra protesters. “Agitators should know that there is a certain borderline they should not cross,” he said.

Briefing journalists yesterday in his office on the activities of pro-Biafran demonstrators across cities in the South East and South South zones, the GOC stressed that as a reminder, the Nigerian Army would like to send an unequivocal warning to all and sundry, more especially to “all those threatening and agitating for the dismemberment of the country, committing treasonable felony and arson, as well as wanton destruction of lives and property, that once deployed, the Nigerian Army shall apply the Rules of Engagement (RoE) to the letter in order for peace to prevail.”

However, in a bid to douse the anxiety and end the demonstrations in the South East, occasioned by MASSOB and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), the Forum of South East Governors yesterday called for an expanded meeting of stakeholders in the zone before reaching a decision.

The emergency meeting, which is in furtherance of the forum’s meeting yesterday in Enugu, is scheduled for on Sunday, November 22, same place. Expected at the meeting are National Assembly members, ministers and other invited stakeholders from the zone.

At the end of the rescheduled meeting at the Enugu State Government House, the governors also called on “MASSOB and IPOB to continue to tow the line of peace as this is the only way to ensure economic development of the zone.”

In what is regarded as its first meeting in Enugu in the new dispensation, the governors expressed concern on the state of the roads in the zone and security.

The meeting, chaired by the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, in its three-point communique read by the governor, resolved to “appoint a high level economic advisory committee to harness the economic potential of the people of the South East working together.

The acting GOC said the recent increase in the pro-Biafra agitations in some parts of the South East and South South zones of the country by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other similar groups was becoming worrisome.

“In cities like Aba, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Abakaliki and Enugu among others, cases of outright lawlessness, threat to lives and properties have been recorded during demonstrations and protests by these groups,” he said.

In a related development, there are indications that the battle to secure the release of the leader of IPOB Nnamdi Kanu has entered a new phase as the group’s directors world wide have engaged the services of renowned lawyers to tackle the Federal Government.

By court records, Kanu has a return date of November 18, 2015 for the Department of State Services (DSS) to show cause why it should not be charged for contempt.

In a statement by MASSOB’s National Director of Information, Comrade Uchenna Madu, in Abakaliki, the group noted that the President can never openly agree to anything that will affect the oneness of ‘his Nigeria,’ adding that the people of Eastern region will decide that.

According to Madu, Buhari should not bother himself about ethnic nationalities, who have decided to leave Nigeria, as it is the people of Eastern region that will decide that.

His words: “Buhari should not bother himself about ethnic nationalities who have decided to leave Nigeria, even his people. The Arewas are earnestly willing to opt out because Nigeria, in the real existence, favours no ethnicity but only the cabals, politicians and high profile personalities

“Biafranism is deeply rooted in the consciousness of every Igbo man and major ethnic groups in the South South. The Biafra referendum that will be conducted by the United Nations (UN) will testify to our popularity and acceptance by Biafrans.”

On the Nigerian Army’s decision to hit Biafra protesters, Madu said: “The Military should not heat up the polity, your threat is very wrong signal to Nigeria because the current Biafra is heavily rooted outside Nigeria. We shall remain non-violent in our pursuit for Biafra,” he said.

The Guardian gathered that the decision to hire senior advocates and other reputable human rights lawyers overseas followed a letter by Kanu’s legal representative, Mr. Vincent Egechukwu Obette, in which he declared that “the coming week would be crucial in the struggle to free Kanu” as, according to him, the Federal Government plans to vary the charges against the self determination activist.

Part of the letter exclusively sighted by The Guardian read: “I am also writing to sound a note of warning that the coming week will be crucial in the legal struggle to protect, defend and secure the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hence I request for collective support from all and sundry.

“I have had access to him twice amid difficulties; I compelled the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow him speak to his wife after her prolonged cries; I secured the surety and perfected his bail conditions; I took his family members to visit him in detention in Abuja; I have had series of meetings with the Embassies of the U.S., the Russia Federation, Spain, Israel and Britain who later visited him last week.”

While disclosing that he was at the moment working with Amnesty International “in documenting series of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Nigeria security agents in the last three weeks for transmission to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the legal representative stressed the need for expanded collaboration.

“The Guardian further gathered that peeved by international concern for the safety of Kanu and growing apprehensions about the human rights records of the present administration in U.S., the Federal Government was planning to slam treason charges on Kanu to justify his long detention without trial.

High-ranking security personnel confided in The Guardian that part of the reason for assigning the Foreign Affairs portfolio to a candidate from Southeast was to perforate the argument of persecution and ethnic vendetta against the Igbo so as to douse the anger of the international community.

“Government is not happy about the dust being raised by this IPOB protests in the international community. It is like some countries that felt outraged by Mr. President’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly about the Palestinian question are interested in ballooning the domestic matter into a diplomatic headache for the government,” the source added.

36 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    I am very sure most of the protesters don`t really know what they are doing as I know they will only be used and dump by their own people as soon as they people agitating for this realize their goal. instead of sending their kids to school they prefer asking them to go and learn trade at early age so financially they might be doing fine but educationally, very backward, even those that went to school, hardly express their self and you wonder where he got his cartificate.

    Instead of you to fight your leaders and ask them for your rights, you are fighting the Federal Government, was ther no alocation for your states, what did your leader do with it? South West was not developed by the federal government mind you but by the yorubas themself, starting from Awolowo during the western region where he was the prime Minister, free education was introduce and sponsored through revenue from agriculture(Cocoa etc) and not oil mind you for those who do not know and economic plan was put in place, why didn`t your leader do the same then in the Eastern region where palm oil was of great revenue but economical plan? malaysia today is one of the highest exporter of palm oil mean while the blue print was taking from the east. pls wake up to reality and stop chasing illusion. Igbo are not lazy people but you need unity, sincerity and equality among your people to develop not one seeing himself as the Alfa and Qmega and just enriching himself just to oppress other in his community as this is always the symbol and ambition of an everage Igbo man.

    GOD BLESS NIGERIA.

    • Author’s gravatar

      I must be frank with you, your comment did not capture the crust of the matter. Your comment is more of a beer parlor and gutter analyses. Your comment is filled with tribal sentiment and hate. World over there is freedom of association and freedom to life. If a group of people feel their interest is threatened in the association they find themselves, nothing stops them from seeking a better ways of association. This could come inform of altering the current terms of the association or seeking total self-determination. The most important thing is for the people to seek the best and peaceful means to achieve their goal. i hope the government to look into their grievances and find a way to resolved them.

    • Author’s gravatar

      A man who had never left his home and is confined to a particular area is talking of Igbo man. When you talk of education presently Anambra is no one followed by Imo state; in WAEC, JAMB, best teachers etc Igbo is no one, so I dont know where you got that notion that Igbos send their children to learn trade rather than go to school; ok! fine let assume that it is so, are the traders you mentiioned not doing very well more than your educated ones who all they know is to speak big grammars and nothing to show for it and those in government the most corrupt. Is it Awolowo that constructed the third main land bridge, refineries, good roads, build Abuja and other infracstructures in the North and Western Nigeria. If you talk of those who put things in place as a result of self effort it is Igbo man, all those cocoa nonsense is thing of the past, we are talking of the present dispensation. What you failed to understand is that Biafra is a phenomena and spirital which is written in the concious or minds of every Igbo man both old and young. How will you comprehend that even small children that do not know anything about the war are talking of Biafra. The children of Israel in the land of Egypt of old had similar thing happening, the jews of Adolf Hitler era has similar thing happened. For every Jew knew that he must return one day to his home land, it is divine and that is exactly what is happening to Nigeria and Biafra presently. When you talk of unity, what unity is beyond that an Igbo man leave his home land to another, stays there for some years and bring his brothers or sisters, teach them business, settle them and the settled in turn does same to others and they grow and multilpy from there, what unity is that people rallied round and fought the Nigerian – Biafra civil war. What unity that after starving and paupurising Ndigbo they where still able to rise up again, what unity is it that an Igbo must go back home once or more every month to meet their people. Bros, live us to be and weep for Nigeria.

      • Author’s gravatar

        CAN U READ YOUR COMMENT, THIS HAS SHOWN HOW EDUCATED ILLITERATE U ARE, NOW LET LET ME LECTURE YOU, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEVEL OF EDUCATION WE TALK ABOUT THE RATIO OR PERCENTAGE, I AM NOT SAYING IGBO DON`T GO TO SCHOOL BUT WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE COMPARE TO SOUTH WEST(I BELIEVE YOU KNOW THE ANSWER) 2 WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INDUSTRIALIST IN NIGERIA AND ECONOMIC POWER IN NIGERIA, I BELIEVE YOU ALSO KNOW THE ANSWER FROM THE SOUTH WEST AND NOT JUST PETIT TRADER DEALING IN USED TYRES, FRIDGE MOTOR PARTS ETC. PLS WAKE UP AND STOP BEING FOUL. CHECK AROUND THE GLOBE AND SEE HOW THE YORUBA ARE FLORISHING IN USA, ENGLAND, FRANCE, ASIA ETC TO REMIND YOU AGAIN I AM TALKING IN RATION AND PERCENTAGE SO DON`T LET ME TEACH YOU AGAIN.

        TRY TO STUDY HARD AND STOP BEING JUST A PETIT TRADER LIKE MOST OF YOU GUYS.

        • Author’s gravatar

          David, you are as stupid as anything. Why all the comparison of tribes? You forgot that the so called education is based on your proximity to Lagos, the former administrative capital? Had the colonial masters chosen Sokoto, Kano or Maiduguri as the nation’s capital, do you think the access and the opportunity that you now claimed for the Yorubas would have been there for them? Stop mistaking geographic advantage for superiority of your tribe. Fool!

          • Author’s gravatar

            I would disagree with you thay it is proximity to Lagos that made the southwest better education wise…History is their for you to go through once again..
            If you care..you would have a better understanding that it is priority that determines how you perceive and pursue success.

        • Author’s gravatar

          Dear David, You are a Goat..
          Your’s sincerely
          A concerned Biafran

        • Author’s gravatar

          Will you smell out of here ,you stupid dirty owambe ritualist. You are very empty upstairs ,go and join your fellow rapists imbecile

        • Author’s gravatar

          DAVID OGINI, You are proud to say that your people the Yorubas are flourishing in other parts of the world not in your own country, YOU ARE A BIG DISGRACE TO ANY BODY THAT KNOWS YOU. why do you talk of one Nigeria when you can not flourish in your country Nigeria. Your father deserve to go back and collect the money he paid sending you to school. If you have sense you should know that the agitation of Biafra is what every reasonable Nigerian should support, both the Yorubas, Hausas and Igbos because its the only thing that will make our politicians to sit up in their respective areas and changes will come. The people who should be singing not to divide Nigeria are those Politician that Nigeria favored, not someone like you who can not afford to take his kids to school. I can not criticize your ethnic, if you must know, very soon the Yorubas will start agitating for their own country, I wonder why the people who are not benefiting anything from Nigeria like you will come here to castigate people who wants to free you from bondage. You are nothing but a wise man who died at the backyard of a foolish man.

          • Author’s gravatar

            That is what some people don’t understand. Biafran agitation is freedom war to liberate every Nigerian from the cabal holding Nigeria down since independence.

        • Author’s gravatar

          David am proud of u.these people cant compete .it’s the spirit of war mongers. They shld go they are not the type one will miss.

    • Author’s gravatar

      Your write up is full of mistakes ranging from wrong spellings to awful grammar. I suggest you simply go back to school and not your local school but to Holy Ghost College Owerri or Kings College Lagos or Government College Owerri or Umuahia, fool.

    • Author’s gravatar

      You are a demented fool.The flyovers in Lagos and tons of federal government infrastructures in Lagos were built with your cocoa money? Idiot.

  • Author’s gravatar

    They are paid by foreign countries to see to the breakup of Nigeria. Lets see how far they can go. The West has decided too many people in Nigeria. A war is needed to reduce that number.

    • Author’s gravatar

      You are right, you mean Buhari was paid by foreign countries to arrest and detain Kanu? Have we ever had this agitation before Kanu’s arrest? was Kanu released and people still protest? The difference between Educated and Illiterate President is that the later knows what to do at all time for peace and progress, while the Illiterate president believes that all power belong to him thereby bring crisis for his government.

    • Author’s gravatar

      What a fool! The West also ensured GEJ lost the election. Those who have not seen or experienced war before are the noise makers. M. I. Okpara once said and i quote.’First fool no be fool, na second fool na him be proper foolish’. Every present Nigerian should work towards peaceful co-existence and not speak like an untrained boko haram.

  • Author’s gravatar

    How many factions of this so called MASSOB do we have now? I remember we have Uwazurike’s faction spitting fire and brimstone in one end and Nnamdi Kanu’s trotting out loads of rubbish from far away United Kingdom.Now we have another faction with a self-acclaimed ‘Director of Information’ MASSOB, Mr. Uchenna Madu churning out disturbingly amateurish truck load of incoherent balderdash from Enugu. What is this drivel about The Biafra referendum that will be conducted by the United Nations? Does he know exactly what he is talking about? Since when did the UN become an arbiter for nations Referendum? Doesn’t this ‘Director of Information’ realise that there is an elected government in place with legislative body of law makers to legislate on such contentious issues? I am not sure when the Igbo nation has lost all
    sense of purpose and direction to appoint these class of people our spokesmen and defenders of Igbo nation’s right for self-determination? I think the Igbo nation deserves something better than a bunch of delusional individuals stirring up disaffection, paralysing commercial activities and agitating for the ‘actualisation’ of a non-existent republic or at best one that violently died on 15th January 1970. This is where the recent conference by the Governors of South –Eastern states becomes very pertinent. There should be no prevarication by the Governors in taking a stand and advising these youths
    and their so- called leaders that they are pursuing their dreamed republic in a completely wrong way. The burning issue
    of restructuring the Federation is a national matter that should be addresses nationally with all the component nationalities in participation and not be trivialized as an agitation by the Igbo nation alone.

  • Author’s gravatar

    PROBABLE CAUSES ESTABLISHED BY THE ICCJ AGAINST BUHARI/ASO ROCK/NIGERIAN ARMY
    [PREMISED ON BUHARI/ASO ROCK’S/NIGERIAN ARMY’S VIOLATIONS OF THE 1999 NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION [as amended] AND THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS [ UNDER WHICH THE IGBOS, MASSOB MEMBERS, NNAMDI KANU, THE PROTESTING AND DETAINED BIAFRAN’S RIGHTS OF HABEAS CORPUS AND FREEDOM TO PURSUE SELF DETERMINATIONS AND/OR INDEPENDENCE]
    WOULD BE EXAMINED, AND USED FOR THE IMPEACHMENT AND/OR PROSECUTION OF THE ABOVE PERPETRATORS?

  • Author’s gravatar

    Massob and IPOB should form an underground gorilla group with arms if any soldier kill their member they should kill their children and wives ehere ever they live in nigeria.they should burn down all the police stattions that kill their member and still not accept responsibility openly.

    • Author’s gravatar

      Uzoh63
      You are the most misleading saboteur I have ever seen. You’re obviously a dislodged member of the ISIS killers. You want to cajole the Igbos into indirectly committing suicide. Your plans will not work. Go and form the guerrilla ( not gorilla illiterate ) fighter alone and die alone.

  • Author’s gravatar

    I sure support true federalism, which would permit each federating unit (be it in the East, West, South or North) to develop at its own pace. The current bunching up which makes every part dependent on Abuja is unhealthy. The earlier steps are taken to achieve this in a harmonious manner for us all the better for Nigeria. Let us put tribe aside and look at matters objectively.

  • Author’s gravatar

    I am against dividing the country. I believe having true federalism will yield more benefit than dividing the country would ever do.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Hello Mr David, you just sounded on the opposite of your name, Davids as I know use to warriors they do not fear, they always stand for what is just, again is like you do not know the history of Nigeria, this is for you and some others who may not know the history,

    Before the Nigeria/Biafra civil war the Ibos /IGBOS were the most educated in all fields of endeavour, but soon after the war Chief Awolowo with some other wicked Nigerians decided to be so wicked, giving ONLY twenty pounds to every one who has money in the in his account no matter the amount of money in your account, then the IGBOs had no other way to survive other than to work hard to make end meet, even when lost almost all.it was then chief Awolowo invested the Igbos money in granting the westerners free education that made them take the upper hand, there is this that the real Igbo person believe that Onye ajuru adi gi aju onwe ye, meaning: He that is forgotten should not for gate himself too. to be frank if ask any other person what igbos did agaist him or her you will find out noting just that they hear say Igbo man likes money yet I have not seen any person from other tribes reject money, just Igbo man always work hard to survive and I know God the almighty will showily Keep, protect, Bless the IGBOs [ good Igbos and all others who are GOD fearing and loving.

  • Author’s gravatar

    “the GOC stressed that as a reminder, the Nigerian Army would like to send an unequivocal warning to all and sundry, more especially to “all those threatening and agitating for the dismemberment of the country, committing treasonable felony and arson, as well as wanton destruction of lives and property, that once deployed, the Nigerian Army shall apply the Rules of Engagement (RoE) to the letter in order for peace to prevail.”
    MR GOC, YOU ARE ALREADY DEPLOYED AGAINST BOKO HARAMS, SO APPLY YOUR RULE OF ENGAGEMENT TO THE LETTER IN ORDER FOR PEACE TO PREVAIL. SHAMELESS MAN!

  • Author’s gravatar

    Freedom of Association and Dissociation they thought is only for jumping from one party to another, it is more than that and we are going to be challenged with our own useless constitution that was drafted during the military regime which we refused to discard in place the National Conference Report as our new Constitution.

  • Author’s gravatar

    time to crush rebels against nigerias unity

  • Author’s gravatar

    Make we let Igbo people dey go Ooo. Forcing people to stay together outside there will is slavery. I am happy I am a Nigerian. If anybody is not happy, please people lets allow them leave and pursue a path of self determination. 45 years on and our Igbo brothers are yet to heal from the defeat of the civil war. It is obvious they have a strong hatred for Yoruba people and an even stronger hatred for the Northerners. Isn’t it surprising that they voted more for Jonathan than the people of South South?. All this intense agitation for Biafra suddenly heightened with a Northerner as president. Nigeria lets give them support

    • Author’s gravatar

      My dear, we do not hate Yoruba people, we certainly do not have Housa people. A sign to that is how Igbos are scattered everywhere in Nigeria. However, you have to understand that the agiotation of Biafra is a reaction to things that are not moving in Nigeria. Today is Biafra, tomorrow it will be another group. The truth of the matter is that Nigeria is is just a shadow of what we all dream of. No hospital, no road, no schools and we all still talk of one Nigeria. Believe you me I would have prefered one Nigeria, but since the one Nigeria issue is not working, why not we try it as separate countries? Maybe we might decide to come together in future just like East and West Germany did. There is no one who is happy in their marriage that wants to separate from their spouce. Divorce is a product of bad marriage.
      Another solution will be to hold all our politicians accountable to all they have brought to the whole Nigeria. The political class are united in rubbing the whole Nigeria, while the common people fight each other in the social media. That is not fair. Nigeria need to change the direction they are going or Nigeria will break.

  • Author’s gravatar