Police in Anambra State, has raided the office of the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra—MASSOB, in Dunukofia local government area of the State.
The raid was confirmed in a statement made by the spokesman of the separatist movement, Mr Chris Mocha.
Mocha in the statement said the pictures of the late Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and Chief Raph Uwazuruike, were dismantled, while 16 plastic chairs and office documents were taken away by the police.
Also, an 87-year-old member of the group, Chief Sylvester Dinyelu, 66-year-old Chief Beka Udemefuna and 53-year-old Amauche Ode, were arrested by the police during the raid.
Part of the statement reads, “The members of BIM-MASSOB were seated in the office at Ifitedunu when the heavily armed policemen numbering over five arrived at the office in the evening and shot sporadically into the air which led people living around the area to scamper to their safety.
“The arrested members were handcuffed, late Dim Emeka Ojukwu and Chief Ralph Uwazuruike’s enlargement photographs, 16 plastic chairs, and a register belonging to the region were recovered and taken away to the former special anti-robbery squad, Awkuzu, Anambra state.
“The non-violence group demands for their immediate release from the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department, Annex, Awkuzu, or to bring them to court if they committed any offence.
“The arrested members are very peaceful people having belonged to Chief Ralph Uwazuruike’s BIM-MASSOB that have not constituted a security risk to the state.”
When contacted to confirm the development, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, simply said, “Thank you for the information.”