[allAfrica.com]  [Africa_2004]


SSS Admits Raiding MASSOB Office

Daily Champion (Lagos)
NEWS
October 16, 2004
Posted to the web October 18, 2004

By Emma Ogu
Owerri
THE State Security Services (SSS) in Owerri, Imo State, has claimed
responsibility for last Wednesday's invasion of the country home of the leader
of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB),
Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, saying that the police merely provided cover to its men
during the operation.
About one hundred mobile policemen were allegedly used in the raid in which
Chief Uwazuruike alleged that "11 of his members were arrested and the sum of
N110,000 taken away along with communication gadgets, Biafran souvenirs and
telephone handsets.
State Director of the security outfit, Mr. Alex Amechina who briefed
journalists in his office yesterday, stated that the SSS carried out the raid
to preempt what he called Chief Uwazuruike's plan to hijack the Nigerian Labour
Congress strike to further his Biafran agenda.
According to him, the SSS got intelligence report that MASSOB was to hold a
meeting in Okwe on how to hijack the strike action to further the ideals of
Biafra.
He said only five members of MASSOB were arrested during the operation and
three of them found in possession of Biafran materials have been released,
while two who dressed in military camouflage are still undergoing interrogation
at the SSS office.
Mr. Amechina also disclosed that radio communication gadgets alongside
telephone handsets and Biafran souvenirs were seized from Uwazuruike's room.
But he denied that the team took away Chief Uwazuruike's money.
Asked whether the Federal Government has any m1oral justification to clampdown
on non-violent MASSOB when other ethnic militia fighting with arms including
Asari Dokubo are treated with kidglove, the SSS boss said that MASSOB's agenda
was secession while other ethnic militia were struggling for betterment of
their people.
"All other groups are struggling for their people's welfare. Asari Dokubo is
asking for resource control. MASSOB is working to dismember Nigeria. The
demands are different. Their methods of operation might be different too, it is
for the Federal Government to decide what. I am not the Federal Government," he
said.
The SSS director further pointed out that Chief Uwazuruike had gotten all it
takes to realise his dream including a solid structure, describing the MASSOB
leader as a "tse-tse fly on the scrotum."
"This thing is no more a joke, MASSOB's plan of actualising the dream is taking
firm root, Okwe has been slated as capital of Biafra and Uwazuruike is erecting
a multi-million naira house for it. He is going from country to country
indoctrinating people to support secession. He has trained his men. Our fear is
that if he decides to arm them tomorrow then insurgence will follow," he said.
Amechina told journalists that the raid was first of its kind by SSS and
emphasised that the action was undertaken not to arrest Chief Uwazuruike, but
to stop him from hijacking NLC strike to further his ideals of Biafra.
He later played for journalists a video tape of the invasion and displayed some
items allegedly recovered from the MASSOB headquarters including Biafran flags
and Biafran souvenirs as well as pictures of Chief Uwazuruike etc.

   

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