THE Enugu State
Police Command said, yesterday, that its investigations into last Saturday’s
invasion of the Enugu Government House was carried out by members of the
Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, a group
canvassing for the re-declaration of Biafran republic.
State
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, who disclosed this while
briefing newsmen on the incident, said four persons were arrested, including
one that was seriously wounded and hospitalised, explaining that no death was
recorded.
He gave their
names as Ifeanyi Chukwuma, Francis Nwaemeka, Sunday Okafor and Shedrack Obi,
all from Anambra State.
He said items
recovered from the MASSOB members, who stormed Government House to forcefully
take over Enugu State seat of power at about 4.30a.m., were two big banners
bearing symbol of the Republic of Biafra, 34 assorted flags, including those
belonging to the defunct Republic of Biafra, Britain, United States, and
Israel, one big bag containing charms, eight matchetes and a saw, but said no
gun was recovered from them.
However, the
leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, denied the police claim that his
members were involved in the attack on the Government House, saying the names
of the arrested suspects indicated that they were not his members.
According to the
CP, the suspects who claimed to be members of the pro-Biafra group had
confessed that they were invited by some persons in Enugu to hoist the Biafran
flags at the Government House, adding that his men were already out in search
of their alleged sponsors whose identities he declined to make public.
He said that the
group of young men, who invaded the Enugu Government House at about
4.30a.m. on March 8, 2014, and armed with matchetes were on a mission to
take over the Government House, Enugu, but added that until their sponsors were
arrested it would be difficult to ascertain their actual motive.
“In the process
of interrogating them the arrested persons they gave us the names of those who
invited them to Enugu to hoist MASSOB flag in Enugu. The motive of those who
invited them is what we are trying to establish.
“We will charge
the arrested persons to court while we will continue to look for their
sponsors,” the commissioner said.
When the newsmen demanded to see the suspects to hear their own story, the CP said nobody would be allowed access to them for the meantime in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigations.
When the newsmen demanded to see the suspects to hear their own story, the CP said nobody would be allowed access to them for the meantime in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigations.