Igbo Youths Defy Arrest, Hold Anniversary

Heavily armed policemen from the Enugu State Police Command, on Wednesday, stormed Hotel Presidential Enugu, venue of the 12th Anniversary of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) and arrested over 600 members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), including their leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, who was also there to attend the ceremony.

The offence of the arrested Igbo youths, according to a police officer, who spoke to some journalists on condition of anonymity was that they were putting on MASSOB uniform, as well as possessing the flag of the movement.

Despite the arrest of the Igbo youths by the security men, the colourful ceremony, which was also graced by Senator Uche Chukwumerije, factional national chairman, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh , was successfully held at the Federation Hall of Hotel Presidential in the capital city .

Other prominent Igbo leaders that attended the IYM 12th anniversary celebration included ailing former Biafra warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, represented by his wife, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) National chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, one-time chief judge of Enugu State and former President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Justice Eze Ozobu, among other top Igbo leaders. They were all recognized with various categories of awards during the ceremony.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, Ojukwu, who applauded members of IYM for their consistency and doggedness in championing the Igbo cause since inception,  urged president of the organisation, Comrade Elliot Uko, not to relent in the struggle for the emancipation of Ndigbo as well as the enthronement of peace, love and unity in Igboland. He therefore, urged governors of the South East zone to begin to pursue Igbo agenda irrespective of their political affiliations.

The ex-Biafran war lord pointed out that the Igbo race would continue to be marginalised in the nation’s scheme of things until the people learn how to be united and speak with one voice.

Ojukwu, had used the ceremony to call on the federal government to revisit the killing of six Igbo traders by the police in Abuja in 2006, popularly referred to as “Apo six”, with a view to bringing perpetrators of the heinous crime to book, saying the “crime is still crying to heaven for vengeance.”

President of IYM, Comrade Uko, in his speech, disclosed that the youth organisation was founded in 1999, with a view to championing Igbo cause, stressing that since it came into existence, it had articulated, promoted, and defended Igbo interest without fear adding that, “IYM has pursued the noble agenda of restructuring Nigeria along the lines of true federalism in order to build a more perfect nation”.

According to him, IYM promotes Igbo culture and has been at the fore front of instituting Igbo language study as a compulsory subject in schools. And believes in rotating power among the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.”