Arrest of Pro-Biafra Activist: Police Detain Supporter in Anambra During Sit-At-Home Protest
The Anambra State Police Command has detained a 37-year-old suspect, Friday Obeta, affiliated with the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), for allegedly planning to enforce a sit-at-home order scheduled for May 30. This order, announced by MASSOB, aims to honor the losses incurred during the Biafran War.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, revealed the arrest and stated that operatives from the Rapid Response Squad, Nnewi Sector, apprehended the suspect based on intelligence reports concerning his intentions to implement the sit-at-home Order. Seized from the suspect were a motorcycle, a branded t-shirt, and an operational identification card belonging to the proscribed organization.
The suspected individual, upon arrest, confessed to being a member and informant of the proscribed group. He has reportedly provided valuable information to aid in the potential capture of other gang members. In the wake of this arrest, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has urged the operatives to escalate their onslaught operations and intensify surveillance to prevent any unlawful gatherings in the state.
It is important to note that both MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have called for a sit-at-home across parts of the Southeast and South-South regions on May 30, marking the 58th anniversary of the Biafran declaration.While MASSOB emphasizes the sit-at-home is voluntary, IPOB's declaration aims for a complete lockdown. Both orders are likely to be accompanied by a notable security presence in major cities within the region.
The 37-year-old suspect, Friday Obeta, was detained by the Anambra State Police Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, for allegedly planning to enforce a sit-at-home order on May 30, which was announced by MASSOB, a proscribed organization in Nigeria. The sit-at-home order is intended to honor the losses incurred during the Biafran War. The suspect, affiliated with MASSOB, was arrested by operatives from the Rapid Response Squad in Abuja and seized items include a motorcycle, a branded t-shirt, and an operational identification card from the proscribed organization. The arrest may have wider implications, as the suspect confessed to being a member and informant of MASSOB and provided valuable information that could lead to the capture of other bandits. With both MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) calling for a sit-at-home across parts of Nigeria, crime and justice, politics, and general news in the region may be impacted significantly by the ensuing security presence in major cities.
