Police arrest MASSOB members for forcing Catholic priest to conduct mass

The Zone 9 Police in Umuahia, Abia state capital, said yesterday that they arrested eighteen members of the Movement For the Actualization of Sovereign state of Biafra (MASSOB), an Igbo secessionist group, who held the Parish Priest of St Luanga Catholic Church, Opoko in Onitsha, Anambra state, hostage, forcing him to conduct a mass for their 16 year anniversary celebration.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9, Umuahia, Akila Usman Gwary, disclosed this while denying the report of a national newspaper that the Biafran 16-year anniversary, which was held on Sunday, had turned bloody.

He said that there were no deaths and no arrests of 200 members of MASSOB as was reported on Monday.

According to the AIG, it was the helpless catholic priest who called the attention of the police and on reaching there, they found 18 MASSOB members, all in their uniforms, with their flags. They were eventually rounded up.He said:

“In Anambra, 35 suspects were arrested. 18 of them were arrested from St. Luanga Catholic Church, Opoko in Onitsha, Anambra state. These people were holding the parish priest hostage, forcing him to conduct [an]anniversary mass for them. And they were all in their uniforms, with their flags. They were rounded up there and were picked from the church by the police.”

“These were the only people that were picked by the police. There was no loss of life, there was no reason for exchange of firing, there was no reason to fire anybody. The people were arrested, taken into custody and have been charged to court this morning. There was no issue of 200 people dead,” the AIG said.

Daily Sun