Youth leaders from Okigwe senatorial district yesterday pleaded with security and law enforcement agencies who orchestrated the arrest of members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) to immediately release them form custody.
At a post conference meeting convened to appraise the zonal youth delegates conference which held Saturday July 5, 2015 in Okigwe LGA, the youths led by Hon. Emma Mbanusi, who is also the National Vice-Chairman South East geopolitical zone of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and Dr Harold Wilson Onumo, the President Imo Youth Assembly (IYA), the Okigwe zonal youth leaders decried the arrest and continued detention of the MASSOB members who trouped out to welcome their leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike (Ijele Ndigbo) who was billed to receive an Award of Excellence in leadership and vision by his zonal youth leaders.
The ceremony which held at Monobis International Hotels Ltd Okigwe was yet to start when a combined team of soldiers arrived at the venue and ordered all the MASSOB members wearing their uniforms and Biafra Military insignia into their vehicles.
Not even the entreaties appeals and persuasions of the MASSOB leader Chief Ralph Uwazuruike who spent more than an hour begging the soldiers along the rusty bush part that led to the Hotel could convince them to let off their hook the innocent and armless MASSOB members.
Bearing in mind that the victims of they unprecedented arrest never constituted any security threat since the occasion was a legitimate conference of Okigwe zonal youth leaders to chart a way forward for the zone, the youths passionately, appeal to those in whose custody these non-militant men were kept top please release them.
The Okigwe zonal youth leaders further pledged their total loyalty and unalloyed support to the massive transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan and lauded his numerous untiring efforts to curls violent crimes in our country. They however condemned in no unmistakable terms the nefarious activities of Boko which have continue to cost several lives and urged the President not to relent in ensuring the release of the 220 Abducted Chilbok girls who are still languishing in the Sambas forest.
