ACF carpets Igbo leaders for supporting MASSOB, secession

Pan-Northern socio-political body, Arewa Consultative Forum, on Tuesday carpeted Igbo leaders for supporting the activities of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra.

ACF argued that if the Igbo leaders were not in support of the actions of MASSOB, the South-East leaders openly condemn the activities of the group.


Chairman of the forum and former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, at a news conference in Kaduna, asked the leaders to speak out against MASSOB, especially on the controversial Radio Biafra to show that they were not backing the group.

Coomassie described the alleged calls by MASSOB for secession, 45 years after a bitter civil war, as undemocratic, saying Igbo leaders should dissociate themselves from the group.

The former IG noted that ACF had observed with serious concern the continued agitation by some Ndigbo elements for the creation of Biafra Republic out of the present Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Coomassie said, “The agitators for this unholy division are in their safe abode outside Nigeria and are openly campaigning in foreign countries.

“The most painful aspect of this agitation by the young Ndigbo elements is the deaf ear and silence from the elders who experienced the bitter pill of the succession attempt, 30 months civil war and who know the consequences of such a futile agitation.

“As you will recall, the issues of Biafra was settled in 1970 after a civil war. It is therefore sad and unfortunate that 45 years after, when Nigerians are now united in a democratic system of governance, some elements are now busy drumming the idea of another war and secession through ‘Radio Biafra’ and MASSOB activities.

“Only just over a week ago, an elder statesman from the South-East celebrated his birthday in Abuja with the presentation of his two books. A good number of who is who in the South-East attended in their traditional regalia, and as the activities progressed, it was nothing but Biafra with inciting and provocative speech by one speaker after another.

“ACF expects Ndigbo leaders to come out openly and condemn such agitations in the present day Nigeria, just as it and others condemned and berated the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East region.

“We cannot afford to transit from one insurgency to another.”