Boko Haram killings: MASSOB declares June 8 sit-at-home, demands Rev. King’s release

The Movement for the actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra ,MASSOB has declared a sit-at-home protest on June 8, 2013 to mourn Igbo people who lost their lives to recent bombings in the Northern part of the country.

A statement signed by the Regional Administrators of MASSOB in Afikpo North and Afikpo South (Edda Central), in Ebonyi State, Comrade Uchenna Madu and Rev. Ogbonnaya Nnachi respectively noted that June 8, 2013 has also been declared a Biafra Public Holiday to mark the event.

The group said: “This sit-at-home exercise is as a result of numerous killings of Ndigbo in Nigeria, mostly in the Northern Region, extra judicial killings of our people in Biafra land, the wanton destruction of our people’s properties and the insensitive murder of six Igbos in June 8, 2004 at Apo village FCT, Abuja.

“June 8, 2013 as a day of mourning is set aside to remember and honour our innocent brothers/sisters, mothers, fathers and children who have been wickedly and callously killed, murdered and massacred by Islamic terrorist (Boko Haram), Nigerian Army, Police and other Islamist religious fundamentalists”.

MASSOB called on Ndigbo irrespective of their locations to observe the one-day sit-at-home from 6 a.m to 4pm, stressing that “it is a national duty for every Biafran , an honour to their fatherland, a special sacrifice offered for freedom, and a unique price paid for the world to know about our existence”.

They announced that there shall be no movement of vehicles and persons and that all private/general motor parks, major/minor markets, shops, schools, air/seaports, public/business places and banks shall be closed even as there would be no marriage/burial ceremonies on that day.

“MASSOB declares that their deaths will never be in vein, it must be avenged by actualizing Biafra, the only sure way of separating our people from blood sucking Northern environment”, the statement added .

The group noted that keeping quiet and making a lot of noise in the pages of Newspapers by some Igbo groups was not enough to salvage the deadly condition of Ndigbo in the North, adding that “some drastic steps and actions must be taken and that shall commence from June 8, 2013″.

In addition, the group demanded the unconditional release of Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (Rev King), General Overseer of Christian Praying Assembly,CPA, who they said has been in prison custody since 2005 over alleged trumped up charges of murder.