AN EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT: HOW BIAFRA CHALLENGED NIGERIA

GODWIN NNAMDI EKE

The two days sit at home protest called by Movement for the Actualization of sovereign state of Biafra(MASSOB) to protest the continued detention of its leader, chief Ralph Uwazuruike, by the Federal Government was religiously observed here in Enyimba city Aba, Abia State and its environs.

As early as 5am on my way from night duty at Osisioma junction, members of the organization who have been well mobilized started setting up road blocks with born fires of used tyres and early risers were running helter-skelter.

About an hour later I noticed a detachment of policemen (police in black and mobile police) removing the materials used as road blocks and bonfires and also confronted the MASSOB members who were later on dispersed with tear gas canisters.

Generally on the first day of the sit at home protest, the city of Aba was grounded most business houses did not open, including schools(both private and public), but some local joints were operating through the back door, but later on the MASSOB members started going from street to street to enforce the order.

On the 6th of December 2005, the city was in a quiet state, because all markets have been ordered to close or not to open. Families found it very difficult to buy essential commodities for household use. Generally the situation was quite difficult, because even banks were not open.

Later on in the day a crowd numbering over ten thousand (10,000) men, women and children marched through the city of Aba, chanting solidarity songs in protest of the continued detention of their leader chief Ralph Uwazuruike. The people of the core east, that is Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia States have signed to sacrifice even their lives to see to the realization of the BIAFRA nation. But the sad news received from Owerri, the capitalof Imo State indicates that over 12 people were killed by some detachment of soldiers sent to quell the situation. These people were defenceless civilians who were not armed. The soldiers were from the 34 Artillery Brigade in Obinze. Their order was to restore normalcy, but instead used live bullets to disperse the protesters.

Reports from other states other than the states mentioned above indicate that the Igbos residing there obeyed the order and closed businesses in compliance.

I feel it is time the UN and the international community take a look into the plight of the Igbos, because the national injustice against the Igbos is too glaring.

Thanks.

Godwin Nnamdi Eke,
Aba, Abia State.Nigeria.