MASSOB Claims Lagos, Abuja as Biafraland
The Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) yesterday declared that Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) belong to Biafran people in view of the population of Ndigbo in the areas.
The group also condemned the alleged sacking of Igbo traders from a portion of land at the Trade Fair complex and FESTAC Town in Lagos after they had invested billions of naira developing the areas.
The leader of the group, Uchenna Madu, made the declaration in Enugu during a mini-rally to receive the leader of another pro-Biafra group, Biafra National Guard (BNG), the acclaimed military wing of all pro-Biafra groups, Innocent Oji, who regained his freedom last month after spending 11 years in detention.
Madu said it was now a new ideology among the pro-Biafra movements to regard any area where a large population of Igbos live, invest and contribute immensely for the development of the area as part of Biafra land.
“Some years back, a portion of land at Trade Fair complex and FESTAC Town were conceded to our people for development in Lagos. After spending billions of naira in developing this part of Lagos for the economic growth of Nigerian government, today, information reaching us is that federal government is conniving with the Lagos State government to retrieve the land, the platform, all the investment and everything from people of Biafra.
“This is part of the pathological hatred; this is part of the jealousy and reason for Biafra agitation. And we are warning because we now believe that everywhere Igbo man is, is part of Biafra. That is the latest ideology we have. We don’t want to confine ourselves to a particular place; we now believe that wherever our foot touches is our land that is Biafra. Lagos is also Biafra, Abuja is also Biafra.
“Anywhere our people are that place is Biafra. So what we are saying now is that that part of Lagos that our people developed with their money is also part of Biafra and we cannot leave,” he said.
He however advised Ndigbo
to bring their investments nearer Biafra mainland like South-east and South-south geopolitical zones of Nigeria, where they had more guarantee for safety and protection.
Madu welcomed Oji back and expressed gratitude to God for preserving him for the 11 years he spent in detention for the cause of Biafra actualisation.
Earlier, Oji thanked Madu for keeping the struggle for Biafra alive and fighting for his freedom throughout his long years of incarceration.
He expressed the hope that Biafra would be achieved in less than one year from now, even as he blamed Britain for the prolonged struggle and the alleged killing of Igbos by Fulani herdsmen and Nigerian authorities.
“By the grace of God this struggle will not last beyond one year from now because we have our strategy. But if the federal government feels we cannot do anything, let them go and arrest our supreme leader Nnamdi Kanu, for them to see what we can do.
“Have it in your mind today that Britain is aware of what is happening in the zoo called Nigeria, all these things they are doing to us is caused by Britain. I’m using this opportunity to warn Britain and their government once again. If they say they are not behind what Fulani herdsmen are doing to our people, killing our people and raping our women and other things, they should come out openly and deny it and ask Nigeria to let us go, otherwise when it will happen nobody should be talking about genocide, Britain should be held responsible,” he noted.