Why soldiers killed our men –MASSOB •Gives Army 48-hour ultimatum to release other members

Fresh facts emerged
yesterday on what led to
the killing of three members
of the Movement for the
Actualisation of the
Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB) by soldiers in the
commercial city of Onitsha
on Sunday evening.
Addressing journalists on the
development, the MASSOB
Director of Information, Mr.
Uchenna Madu, said the
major cause of the killing of
their members by the army
was not unconnected to the
arrest of a dealer of Indian
hemp suspected to be an
agent of the army by the
members of MASSOB.
He said his members had
earlier arrested a man who
was dealing on Indian hemp
whom they handed over to
the Police Division at
Okpoko but the army
invaded the police station
and set the suspect free.
“MASSOB members arrested
one man with heavy Indian
hemp, they handed him
over to the police at
Okpoko Police Division but
the soldiers invaded the
police and set the suspect
free,” he said.
Madu stated that the army
had provoked MASSOB
members through their
unwarranted killings and
detention, warning that, “if
the ultimatum was not
heeded, the army and the
Nigerian state will see the
violent side of MASSOB.”
The visibly agitated Madu
maintained that the non-
violent posture of MASSOB
had been mistaken for
weakness and cowardice by
security operatives, “who
now derive joy in the killing
and intimidation of unarmed
MASSOB members.”
According to him, “the
current security challenges
the country is grappling
with as a result of the Boko
Haram menace will be a
child’s play at the
expiration of our ultimatum.
We will declare war against
the army except our
members that are currently
in detention in different
military facilities and police
cells in Anambra State and
entire South-east are
released unconditionally.”
Corroborating MASSOB’s
stance, the newly crowned
“Ogirisi-Igbo (defender of
the Igbos), Chief Rommy
Ezeonwuka, said MASSOB
members who were killed by
the army in Onitsha were
on their way to a meeting to
finetune arrangements for
the burial of the late
Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Describing the incident as
provocative, the Igbo
leader warned that the
actions of the army, which
he said were a systematic
clampdown of Igbo youths,
would have dire
consequences if allowed to
continue.
“We have endured the
killing of Ndigbo in the
North without reprisal
attacks in the East. But we
are being pushed to the
wall by the army in our own
land. What have they done
to the Boko Haram sect who
are known enemies of the
state. We are waiting to
see what government will
do, otherwise, we may
resort to self-defense,” he
said.
Meanwhile, all efforts to
contact the army through
their 82 Division, Enugu,
proved abortive as at the
time of filing this report.