The Movement for the Survival of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has asked the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to come back home and fight for Biafra, rather than hiding abroad.
Speaking in a telephone interview with PUNCH on Thursday, MASSOB’s National Director of Information, Sunday Okereafor, said it was wrong for Kanu to stay abroad and think that he could achieve Biafra from outside Nigeria.
Okereafor maintained that the IPOB leader would not be able to achieve Biafra by speaking from America, London, Canada and Australia.
“MASSOB says on Biafra, we stand. Nnamdi Kanu can’t say that he is fighting for Biafra and he is staying in America, London, Canada, Australia. Every day, he is flying; he should come back home and pay the price.
“MASSOB is telling Nnamdi Kanu to come down home and fight for the freedom, rather than hiding abroad. Nnamdi Azikiwe was in Nigeria as Governor General of Nigeria and Muammar Ghaddafi was there fighting for the freedom of his people, Jomo Kenyatta fought for the freedom of Kenyans from Kenya.
“Also, Thomas Jefferson of America stayed in America and fought for their own freedom. So, Nnamdi Kanu should come home; he should bring his own members home and fight, rather than castigating Uwazuruike,” Okereafor said.
MASSOB also cautioned Kanu to desist from insulting its leader, Ralph Uwazuruike over issues concerning the struggle for Biafra.
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Okereafor also faulted Kanu for accusing Uwazuruike of thwarting the fight towards achieving a sovereign state of Biafra, adding that the MASSOB leader brought the IPOB leader into the struggle.
“Odumegwu Ojukwu never castigated Michael Okpara and Uwazuruike never castigated Ojukwu. Kanu was an employee of MASSOB. Uwazuruike employed him. It is now that he wants to be the boss. Does Kanu know about the struggle? No,” he said
Okereafor stated that MASSOB would continue to maintain its non-violent approach towards achieving Biafra, adding that some people were working towards hijacking the struggle from the movement. He said:
“We know that they want to hijack the struggle. Even now, they want to hijack it. But Uwazuruike remains the father. Kanu was an employee of MOSOB. How can an employee know more than the Managing Director?
“Uwazuruike is going the normal line in which he is supposed to go and get Biafra. We don’t carry arms; so, how can you expect us to carry arms. Kanu is a freedom fighter; how would you run away from the people he is fighting for?”
