Arrangements have been concluded by the Anambra State Government to give a befitting societal burial to fallen Biafran heroes and others, who died during the Nigerian/Biafran Civil War tomorrow.

According to the state Commissioner for Information, Hon. Tony Onyima, Monday will be a work-free day and, as such, all markets within the state will be shut.

Those expected to participate at the Alex Ekwueme venue of the event in Awka, the state capital, are consequently expected to put on black attire.

Speaking further on the forthcoming event, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, the Ogirishi Igbo and Igbo spiritual leader, while expressing satisfaction for the burial, recalled that for about 30 years, he had been stressing the need for the burial so that the souls of the dead soldiers-those killed as a result of insurgency and others – that died in the Northern riots and auto crashes would stop to torment the living.

He revealed that about 50 plots of land behind the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Awka, had been allocated as epitaph for the fallen heroes.

The Igbo spiritual leader, who is a member of the planning committee, added that an interdenominational burial mass will commence in the morning as part of the activities lined up for the burial that will also commence with 21 gun salute to herald the event.

On why it is only Anambra state that is involved in the event, he noted that the state as a pace –setter has to kick-start first, adding that other South East states will do theirs in no distant time as those who died were Igbos irrespective of the states they hailed from.

The Igbo leader, revealed that the spate of violent crimes in the recent times in the South-East zone was sequel to the unrest nature of the spirits of the dead who he said hover around waiting to be accorded a befitting burial so that they would have rest in the spiritual world.

Adapted from Newswatch Times