BIAFRAN SEPARATISTS AND POLICE CLASH, BURN FIRST

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 001753

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W
STATE FOR INR/AA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV NI
SUBJECT: BIAFRAN SEPARATISTS AND POLICE CLASH, BURN FIRST
PRESIDENT'S HOME

REF: ABUJA 1744

Classified By: Consul General Brian Browne for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. Summary. During a demonstration in Onitsha (Anambra
State) following the GON's arrest and detention of Ralph
Uwazurike, the house of Nigeria's first post-independence
President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, was razed. Uwazurike is the
leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign
State of Biafra (MASSOB). At least one person is reported
dead, two wounded, and eighteen MASSOB members have been
arrested in Onitsha, Anambra State. End Summary.

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MASSOB Leader's Arrest Leaves Many Discontents in the South
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2. (C) In late October, the State Security Service (SSS)
arrested Ralph Uwazurike, whose separatist group MASSOB is
known for mass "stay-at-homes" in southeastern Nigeria.
(Note. MASSOB protests earlier in September reportedly
claimed 6 lives. End Note.) At the time of Uwazurike's
arrest, other MASSOB leaders promised to take action within
seven days if Uwazurike were not released. The GON has
charged Uwazurike and six others from MASSOB with treason. A
journalist who spoke with him said Uwazurike complained the
conditions of his SSS holding cell were "deplorable" and that
he had been bound in "steel shackles." He reportedly
requested a transfer to a prison. A hearing on the matter is
scheduled for December 6, 2005.

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At Least 1 Dead and Late President's House in Flames
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3. On November 7, MASSOB-led protests took place in three
cities in Anambra State, as well as in Enugu, Imo, and Abia
States. Protests were most disruptive in Anambra. During
the protest in the busy market city of Onitsha, the home of
the first post-independence President, the late Nnamdi
Azikiwe, was burned to the ground. A nearby house and
several vehicles were also destroyed. A local human rights
activist reported police stationed near the home opened fire
on protestors who were hurling insults and stones at them.
The police killed one protestor and injured two. To avoid
retribution, the police quickly took refuge in the house of
the revered late Igbo leader. Angry protestors surrounded
the house. When police refused to leave, the anger of the
protestors at the temporary occupants of the house exceeded
their respect for the person who built it. Thus, they set
fire to the place. Police acknowledge frenzied MASSOB
members set the house ablaze but claim that their officers
had not sparked the destruction by previously firing at the
protestors. The policemen were ultimately rescued from the
blaze.

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Governor Blames Political Enemies, Not MASSOB
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4. Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige visited the scene
November 8. In a speech that day, he blamed the National
Union of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) for taking advantage
of a minor skirmish between police and protestors to loot the
home and embarrass the government. Anambra's Governor is
locked in a battle with NARTO over control of resources
derived from motor park fees in Anambra. Ngige pledged to
help rebuild Azikiwe's home.


5. (C) Comment. The protests over Uwazurike's arrests are
indicative of the feelings of many people in the Southeast.
While most Igbos do not support secession, they empathize and
attach themselves to the sentiments behind MASSOB. Thus,
although few Igbos would support MASSOB to its logical
conclusion, they do lend it their moral support; it is an
effective, if often coarse, spokesperson for their political
frustrations. Anambra state governor Ngige therefore found
it convenient to blame others, not MASSOB, for damaging
Azikiwe's homestead. Uwazurike's arrest appears part of a
crackdown by the GON against the leaders of the major radical
groups in the South. In addition to Uwazurike, Dokubo Asari
from the South-South and Frederick Fasehun of the Oodua
People Congress (OPC) in the Southwest have been arrested.
Evidently, the GON is betting that, in capturing the heads of
these groups, the corpora will lose vitality. This tack
could quiet these groups or lead to further protests and
radicalization. The stability of significant portions of
southern Nigeria will depend on whether the GON has bet
wisely. End Comment.
BROWNE