BY TONY EDIKE

ENUGU – LEADER of Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra,MASSOB Chief Ralph Uwazulike, was yesterday, detained by the Enugu State Police Command.

Uwazulike had gone to the police headquarters with the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, to seek the release of the more than 200 members of MASSOB arrested by security agents who could not give reasons for the arrest.

The MASSOB members were on their way to Enugu to attend the 12th anniversary of Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, which honoured the former Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at Hotel Presidential, Enugu.

Uwazulike and Umeh left the venue of the event and headed to the Police Commissioner’s office to ascertain why members of the movement were arrested. violent.

Matters took a twist when the police decided to detain Uwazulike  for reasons best known to them.

Umeh and other Igbo leaders who went with Uwazulike, however, left the police headquarters without him.

The MASSOB members, who drove in several buses into Enugu from different parts of Igboland for the event, were apprehended by soldiers on the highways. The soldiers claimed they were instructed to stop them from entering the Coal City.

They were first taken to the headquarters of 82 Division, Nigerian Army,  after which they were handed over to the police, which detained them along with the buses at the Police Headquarters, Enugu. More than 50 others were also arrested at Hotel Presidential, venue of the ceremony by soldiers who operated in five Hilux patrol jeeps.

Some soldiers and policemen also visited the GRA residence of Ojukwu in search of the MASSOB members but sources said none of them was seen there.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said they were apprehended based on intelligence report that they were coming into Enugu to cause havoc.

He said: “We arrested the MASSOB members who are up to 200 because we don’t know their mission to Enugu.  We were informed that they were coming to cause havoc. We have commenced investigation to ascertain their true mission to the state.”

IYM honoured Ojukwu with Igbo Icon of all times and his wife, Bianca,who returned from London for the ceremony, received the award on his behalf.

Other Igbo leaders honoured were founder of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazulike who bagged Igbo Warrior for Selfless Sacrifice award; former Governor of Abia State and National Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu , (Igbo Light); National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh (Igbo Hero for steadfastly extending Igbo political frontier) and former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igwe Justice Eze Ozobu (Onye