From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Leadership of the Biafra Independence Movement (BIM)/Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has said a member of the Ojukwu Memorial Day celebration committee has been arrested and detained by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (Tiger Base) of the Imo State Police Command.
It said Moses Amaechi, 89 years old, was arrested on October 12 on his way to attend a meeting of the Ojukwu memorial day celebration scheduled to hold on November 26 for allegedly being a member and sponsor of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Director of Information of BIM/ MASSOB, Chris Mocha, in a statement, yesterday, disclosed that the alleged offence of Amaechi, a senior Biafra solder, was his possession of the identity card of BIM/MASSOB signed by Ralph Uwazuruike, leader and founder of the group.
Mocha explained that the public bus conveying Amaechi from Cross River State to attend a national meeting in Owerri was stopped and all the occupants in the vehicle ordered to be searched.
“During the search, a membership card personally signed by Uwazuruike and belonging to BIM-MASSOB was found in Elder Amaechi’s possession.
“Amechi, a veteran soldier with BIM-MASSOB was subsequently arrested and taken into custody on October 12. He had been kept incommunicado in the Shell camp, Tiger Base Squad, Owerri, the state capital.
“Police also denied his first son, who had come to their base, access to his aged father. Moses was on his way from Cross River State to attend a meeting at Ojukwu Library, Area G, new Owerri, preparatory to Ojukwu Day celebration scheduled for November 26.
“The detained Amaechi is a member of BIM-MASSOB, led by Uwazuruike, and not sponsoring or working for IPOB/ESN as alleged by the police.
“While we demand his release, we wish to state that nothing incriminating was found on Amaechi. Membership card of BIM-MASSOB is not an AK-47,” Mocha said.
