Biafra: UN under Pressure to Conduct Referendum in 2016

The United Nations (UN) may conduct ref­erendum to determine Biafra’s seccession from Ni­geria, by the first quarter of 2016, if the information by the Movement for the Ac­tualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB is anything to go by.

This was disclosed by the new leader of MASSOB , Comrade Uchenna Madu, in an exclusive interview with The AUTHORITY Newspaper, yester­day, in Umuahia .

Madu said MASSOB’s lead­ership was in touch “with the relevant international orga­nizations towards achieving this”, which he added, would give the needed international legitimacy to the break- away Biafran Republic.

His words: “We are serious­ly working with the relevant international organizations, and by the first quarter of next year, the stage will be set for that. We are doing the neces­sary things needed for referen­dum after which we will bade final bye to Nigeria”.

The MASSOB leader also said the group was partner­ing with another Niger Del­ta group called Lower Niger Congress towards actualis­ing self determination for the people of the older Eastern Re­gion.

He said there was no going back on their agitation for a sovereign Biafran Republic, arguing that “many have sac­rificed their lives for the strug­gle”.
Madu restated the non- vi­olence stance of MASSOB in pressing home its demands for autonomy, saying that no amount of provocations by the security agents would make the group to turn violent.

He also said that Biafran ag­itators would not be deterred by the antics of “those who are jittery over our achievements , and we will continue to re­sist their attempts to make us go violent”.

The MASSOB chief said the group would continue to partner with the Indepen­dent People of Biafra ( IPOB) , and other genuine pro- Biaf­ran groups “until Biafra is ful­ly achieved “.

He also said MASSOB was working assiduously to secure release for the detained IPOB leader and Radio Biafra Direc­tor, Nnamdi Kanu, vowing to sustain the efforts until he was freed.

“We only have two de­mands: unconditional release of Kanu, and the sovereign state of Biafra”, he said.
Madu said it was regretta­ble that the Nigerian authori­ties would continue to detain Kanu who had not taken up arms against the country de­spite a court order for his re­lease.

Asked if MASSOB was will­ing to readmit its expelled for­mer leader, Chief Ralph Uwa­zurike, Madu said Uwazurike’s fate would be determined af­ter the committee set up to investigate his alleged crimes had turned in its report.

He demanded that Uwa­zurike must release all MAS­SOB documents in his cus­tody .

Madu also said MASSOB was making frantic efforts to secure the release of all its members allegedly aban­doned by Uwazurike in var­ious prison and police de­tentions, and to accord a befitting burial to others who died during the struggle.

He said adequate compen­sation would also be paid to the families of dead MAS­SOB members whose corps­es are still littered in various mortuaries.

Madu appealed to all Bi­afran agitators to remain peaceful and committed to the struggle until Biafra was realized.