Tension and apprehension now pervade the headquarters of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, following a marching order given to some key officers of the Movement by their leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, to vacate the organization or face forceful ejection.

The officers; National Chief Security Officer, Chief Security Driver, National Secretary, Chief Intelligence Officer, four National Commanders and over two hundred security men camped at MASSOB headquarters, Okwe in Imo State since 2006 were affected by Uwazuruike’s orders to vacate Okwe within a week or be ejected by force.

As a result, the National Director of Information, Comrade Uchenna Madu yesterday raised the alarm that the action of the MASSOB leader may lead to the collapse of the group and bloodshed in Igbo land.

Madu described the affected officers as diligent, loyal, faithful and committed to the MASSOB struggle, adding that “they have been arrested, tortured, detained, persecuted and even abandoned by their families in the cause of MASSOB struggle, many are living with their wives and children.”

In a statement, Madu who expressed worry over the possible outcome of Uwazuruike’s directive said, “as national security men, they have followed our leader to almost all his official and personal engagements. They have more confidence in Uwazuruike than other administrative officers.”

According to him “Now our leader has ordered their forceful exit from MASSOB because they advise him to reduce the monthly national dues of N10,000 minimum from each Area Administrator. In MASSOB set up, each L.G.A. as a region consists of at least 20 Area Administrators who pay their dues into Uwazuruike’s personal account in First Bank Plc and they told Uwazuruike that since mil­lions of naira are flowing into MASSOB as leverage and financial support from external sources including the money from Igbo politicians who sought for MAS­SOB members vote and po­litical support and also funds from other sources seeking MASSOB support for 2015 general election, he should stop or reduce the MASSOB members monthly dues paid to him.

“They also reminded Uwazuruike that the money he assured members that will be paid into their spe­cial bank accounts opened last year which has been released to MASSOB but re­fuse to distribute the money to members. They also re­minded him that some dead members are still in mortu­ary in Onitsha as abandoned corpses, some that were shot dead by security agents without seeing their corpses, they have not been accorded proper burial rites, the families of dead members have been forgotten without proper care.

“He was also reminded that some members who died in Onitsha at old spare parts market was as a re­sult of his order to regional administrators to take full charge and operate like gov­ernors as parallel government to Governor Peter Obi.

“During our last national meeting at Owerri, Uwazuruike in his usual way of blackmailing me before the members claimed that he spent N400,000 during the burial of my late father, Mazi John Ejimchukwu Madu but I see this proud talk as an insult to my late father and late step mother whose deaths were caused by my long incarceration between 2005 and 2009 as a result of psychological trauma. I was arrested, per­secuted, detained because of Uwazuruike, MASSOB and Ndigbo in general not as a criminal.

“Uwazuruike is not happy with us because we sup­ported and voted for APGA during the last governorship election in Anambra State. We ignored his directives to vote for Labour Party because of our great Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who always reminded us that APGA and MASSOB are children of the same parents and we must support APGA. We decided to obey Ojukwu even in death and will con­tinue to support Igbo interest in Nigeria.

“Instead of our leader to make some corrections or clear himself from these allegations of embezzlement, he started blackmailing his officers who have suffered for him as saboteurs and enemies of Biafra.

“Now the security men and other administrative officers at MASSOB head­quarters, Okwe have vowed that they have no other place to go after spending over 14 years in MASSOB, and they will resist any attempt by Uwazuruike to dislodge them from MASSOB headquarters which was built with MASSOB money. Any attempt to push them out of Okwe may result to MAS­SOB members going into all sorts of criminalities in Igbo land.”

Madu urged Ndigbo to stand up and save MASSOB. His words “We appeal to patriotic Igbo leaders including the governors, members of parliament, traditional rulers, religious leaders, Ohaneze Ndigbo and well meaning Igbos to intervene now and save MASSOB from total collapse and im­minent bloodshed at Okwe before two weeks.

“We love MASSOB and Igbo land. As other ethnic regions have their own po­litical pressure group, MASSOB is our own, the pride of Ndigbo, MASSOB belongs to Ndigbo. As a result of this development, the zeal of the Biafran struggle has waxed cold, thousands of members are confused, many have lost confidence on possibility of Biafra actualization. Ndigbo should rise now or our enemies will laugh at us.”

•Excerpted from a Saturday Sun report. Photo shows a group of MASSOBians during a pro-Biafra rally.