Members of
the Chief Ralph Uwazurike-led Movement for the Actualisation of
Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB and Biafra Independent Movement, BIM,
yesterday threatened to occupy the streets of Anambra indefinitely over
the continued incarceration of their members in prison for the past four
years.
MASSOB-BIM Leader for Anambra South,
Chief Arinze Igbani and the Acting Regional Administrator for Awka
South, Sunday Ozoilo, in a joint press briefing in Onitsha accused some
judges in Anambra State of constituting a clog in the wheel of freedom
for their detained members.
Citing the case of four of their members,
Chukwuemeka Arua, ThankGod Mark, Chidi Nweke and Emmanuel Akachukwu,
who have been languishing in prison custody since 2013, after they were
arrested in connection with the MASSOB sit-at-home order, Igbani and
Ozoilo noted that the four were granted bail at Ogidi High Court on June
14, 2017, but the presiding judge was unable to sign the bail documents
before proceeding on annual vacation. The MASSOB-BIM leaders who
presented the court documents to authenticate their claims noted that
the judge who had earlier chided the police for not filing any proof of
evidence for armed robbery and conspiracy against the accused for the
past four years, later turned around to insist on confirming the
authenticity of land documents tendered by their sureties from the
Ministry of Lands before allowing the detainees to breath the air of
freedom.
They called on the National Judicial
Council, Federal and State governments, including various human rights
bodies both local and international to come to their aid before they are
provoked into violence.
The Biafra agitation group also disclosed
that 12 of their members are also struggling to free themselves from
various spurious charges brought against them because of their struggle
for Biafran independence in various courts in Onitsha, Atani, Otuocha
and Nteje, noting that 18 years after their continuous agitations for
Biafra, they can never be cowed into submission by various state agents.
“Our members were arrested by Special Anti Robbery Squad and after
severe torture and other dehumanizing treatment, they were charged to
court and remanded in prison custody.
Those cases have lingered while most wives and children of our members have been living like widows and the fatherless.
The hopes of the four families to reunite
again with their breadwinners were dashed last month because of the
insistence of that judge who is an Igbo woman.
The implication is that they will still
remain in custody till after vacation in September. Our patience is
running out,” they lamented.
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