Biafra group asks Igbos to leave the North

The Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign States of Biafra (MASSOB) has reacted to a notice of vacation issued by the Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY) by asking Igbos to leave the Northern region immediately.

On Tuesday, June 6, 2017, the northern group, through a statement by its spokesman, Alhaji AbdulAziz Suleiman, cautioned all South-Easterners living in the North to leave the region in 90 days or risk eviction.

MASSOB has asked Ndigbo to comply with the notice, saying it is not surprised by the action.

MASSOB leader Comrade Uchenna Madu said the group agrees with the coalition's decision, saying Igbos should reinvest in Biafra.

"MASSOB is aware that such rascality will happen. As a matter of fact, this is the only rascality exhibited by sponsored Arewa youths to forcefully exit the people of Biafra residing in Arewa land that MASSOB will 100 per cent support. Their Boko Haram tactics didn’t work as planned. We pledge our total support towards this divinely approved quit notice.

"MASSOB congratulates the Arewa political, religious, traditional and opinion leaders who sponsored their youths wing by using Arewa House in Kaduna for this greatest meeting of a coalition of Islamic fundamentalist.

"As there is no other alternative to stop Biafra freedom, the northern leaders have resorted to using their youths wing to start terrorising the people of Biafra living in the northern region.

"What they saw during the sit-at-home exercise to mark the 50th anniversary celebration of Biafra declaration by General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu marvelled them irrespective of the promises made to them by their stooges in Biafra land."

"MASSOB urge our people to start returning home now. Don't wait till the three months for quit notice to expire.

"MASSOB is begging our people to reinvest their investments back to Biafra land."

ALSO READ: Northern youths declare war on Igbos, ask them to leave the North in 90 days

In the notice served by the northern group, it expressed its displeasure with the Igbos' constant agitation for its own independent nation, citing it as one of the key reasons for the declaration.

"From today, June 6, 2017, when this proclamation is signed, the North, a critical player in the Nigerian project, hereby declares that it will no longer be disposed to coexisting with the Igbos and shall take definite steps to end the partnership by pulling out of the current federal arrangement.

“This conclusion is necessitated by the realization that it since ceased to be comfortable or safe to continue sharing the same country with the ungrateful, uncultured Igbos who have exhibited reckless disrespect for the other federating units and stained the integrity of the entire nation with their insatiable criminal obsessions.

“Rather than certain sections holding the whole country to ransom at every stage, each should be allowed to go its own way as we categorically proclaim today that the North is fed up with being the same country with this pack of acrimonious Igbo partners.

“The persistence for the actualization of Biafra by the unruly Igbo of South-Eastern Nigeria has lately assumed another alarming twist which involved the forceful lockdown of activities and denial of other people’s right to free movement in the South-East by the rebel Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its overt and covert sponsors.

“This latest action and similar confrontational conducts which amount to a brutal encroachment on the rights of those termed as non-indigenous people residing and doing lawful businesses in those areas illegally demarcated and defined as Biafra by the Igbo, are downright unacceptable and shall no longer be tolerated."

The statement also urged Northerners living in the South-East to return to the North.

The deadline for the notice is October 1, 2017.