MASSOB’s planned civil war memorial services in South-East unacceptable — Army
The Nigerian Army has warned churches and residents in the South-East and parts of the South-South against complying with a directive by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) to hold memorial services for victims of the Nigerian civil war.
MASSOB had urged churches in the South-East and parts of the South-West to organise special thanksgiving and memorial services on May 31 as part of activities marking the declaration of the defunct Republic of Biafra by Chukwuemeka Ojukwu.
Reacting to the directive, the Army, through the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Ayeni, described the planned activities as illegal and capable of creating unrest in the region.
Ayeni said the military recognised the sacrifices and pain of families who lost loved ones during the civil war but stressed that only officially recognised national events should be used to honour fallen heroes.
He noted that occasions such as Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Nigerian Army Day Celebration and Nigeria’s Independence Day provide lawful platforms for reflection and remembrance.
“Operation UDO KA remembers with compassion the sacrifices of the fallen heroes which can never be forgotten. However, true honour lies in unity, peace, and lawful remembrance, not in illegal directives by some irredentists aimed at sowing division and causing panic in the region. The directive by MASSOB is therefore illegal, provocative, and must be disregarded by all. Any gathering or activity outside the framework of lawful national commemorations is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the statement read.
The Army further alleged that sympathisers of MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were behind the directive, accusing them of attempting to destabilise the relative peace currently enjoyed in the South-East.
It warned that anyone found disrupting public peace or religious activities under the guise of the memorial programme would face the full weight of the law.
