Posted: Sep 01 2011 [01:15 am]
Information available to 247ureports.com indicate that the leader of MASSOB, Ralph Uwazurike and the 280 members who was arrested by the Nigeria police force in Enugu State on the weekend of August 26, 2011 at an award event in Enugu, the capital of Enugu State – will be released from detention on Thursday, September 1, 2011.
According to the information gathered, the President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan had inssued a directive following the news of the arrest of MASSOB members. His directive which was issued the next day – directed the law enforcement authorities detaining the MASSOB members to release the members. The directive was given on Sunday, August 28, 2011.
As gathered, the directive reached the desk of the Enugu State Attorney General, Mr. Tony Ani on the Sunday. Mr. Tony Ani was reported to be out of the country at the time the presidential directive was given. 247ureports.com gathered that immediately following the arrest of Ralph Uwazurike and the 280 MASSOB members, Tony Ani jetted out of the country for the United States of America [USA].
With the President\’s order of release, Tony Ani is expected to return to Nigeria on Thursday September 1, 2011 to append his signature on the appropriate documents of release.
It is recalled the 280 members of MASSOB were arrested by the Enugu State police under the directive of the State government in Enugu while the leader of MASSOB accompanied by 280 of MASSOB members was attending an event he was invited to received an achievement award. The 280 MASSOB were arrsted immediately they arrived the venue and many more were arrested along the highways. Others were arrested as they escorted the wife of Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu to her Enugu home. The home of Ojukwu was ransacked and windows broken in the process of the ransacking.
Hours following the arrest, the 281 MASSOB members were arraigned in a kangaroo magistrate court by a borrowed former magistrate from the Enugu State Registrars office. The borrowed magistrate remanded the 281 members of MASSOB and charged them with treason for ploting to overthrow the south east governors and to declare the south east as Biafra without weapons. 247ureports.com\’s investigation found that none of the arrested members of MASSOB were seem with a weapon
