Police And MASSOB Disagree Over Identity Of Suspects

Enugu State Police Command yesterday disagreed with the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) over the true identity of the over 50 hoodlums who attacked the Enugu State Government House in the early hours of Saturday. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Adamu, who briefed journalists yesterday at the command headquarters, said the hoodlums invaded the Government House with the intention to hoist the Biafra flag at the State House.

He disclosed that his men apprehended four of the gangsters, identified as Ifeanyi Chukwuma, Francis Nwaemekaoha, Sunday Nwaorgu and Shedrack Onukogu, who, according him, said they came from Anambra State and were MASSOB members sponsored to attack the Enugu Government House by yet-to-be identified persons.

But when contacted, the leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, said the four persons in the police net and the others who came to Enugu were not members of his organisation.

“I get reports from all MASSOB formations across the country on a daily basis. On Saturday, when this thing happened, I contacted the commander in Enugu and I was told that our men did not carry out any operation and our members do not get involved in this kind of thing. So, the police should go ahead and prosecute those they apprehended, they are not our members,” Uwazuruike said.

The police boss said the four suspects in their custody had made useful information that would lead to the arrest of those behind the dastardly act. The commissioner said the hoodlums invaded the Government House at about 2:30 a.m. in commuter buses with dangerous weapons and charms. The police later displayed the two giant banners recovered from the hoodlums with the inscription: The Republic of Biafra a.k.a The Tribe of Gad, Amalgamation Dissolve; eight machetes; a black bag containing charms; an iron cutter; flags of the US, Israel, Greece and other nationalities.