Ezu River corpses: Victims were our members – MASSOB

Culled from Sunnews

Following the startling discovery of over 30 bodies found floating on Ezu River, the boundary between Anambra and Enugu states, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has revealed that the victims were their members arrested by security agencies in different parts of the state last year but were never released nor charged to court.

According to MASSOB Director of Information, Mr Uchenna Madu, the corpses found floating on Ezu River in Amansea community were MASSOB members, who were arrested in the state and secretly executed by the security agents without proper trial to cover their tracks.

Madu said: “MASSOB with deep sense of grief and sorrow wishes to inform Mr. Ban Ki Moon (UN Secretary General), President Goodluck Jonathan, US president, Barrack Obama, United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and Amnesty International about the gruesome murder of MASSOB members by the Special Anti-Robbery Squared SARS, of Nigeria Police Force, Awkuzu Anambra State.”

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He said some of the MASSOB members identified as Basil Ogbu, Michael Ogwa, Sunday Omogo, Philip Nwankpa, Eze Ndubisi, Ebuka Eze, Obinna Ofor, Joseph Udoh and Uchechukwu Ejiofor were arrested at the MASSOB security office Onitsha, Anambra State on November 9, 2012 by a combined team of Nigeria security agents (Army, Police and SSS) and were later handed over to SARS headquarters, Awkuzu Anambra State where they were detained until their suspicious disappearance.

“Some of our disguised members and family relations of the detained members were denied access to them. Efforts by our counsel to secure their bail from the police were futile. Our demands for their arraignment before a competent court of law were frustrated by SARS officers.

They claimed that the court was not sitting because of Christmas.” “We got information from an insider at SARS headquarters, Awkuzu that armless MASSOB members detained at SARS were secretly killed alongside other robbery suspects. Our lawyers, who confidently waited for their arraignment in January 2013 did not believe that such barbaric, primitive and wicked act could happen because, according to them, a comprehensive police reform on Human Rights was being carried out by the new Inspector General of Police.”

“We suspect that some dead bodies found at Ezu River, in Awka, Anambra State might be our members detained at SARS headquarters, Awkuzu.

We challenge the Anambra State police command to produce Basil Ogbu, Michael Ogwa, Sunday Omogo, Philip Nwamkpa, Eze Ndubuisi, Ebuka Eze, Obinna Ofor, Joseph Udoh and Uchechukwu Ejiofor detained at SARS headquarters Awkuzu or arraign them before a court of law,” he said.

He appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan, President Barrack Obama, Mr. Ban Ki Moon and human rights organizations to intervene on their behalf and save his members from more extra judicial and secret killings by security agents, adding that the organization had remained a non-violent one in the face of several aggressions.