Nigeria: Situation and treatment of members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), including arrest and prosecution; whether the Nigeria Police Force pursue people who use bribes to flee detention and who have no charges against them (2013-July 2016)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. MASSOB Factions and Name Change

In his 2015 article on Biafra separatism, Nnamdi Obasi, Senior Analyst on Nigeria at the International Crisis Group, states that

[i]n recent years, MASSOB has fractured and, on 30 November 2015, a major faction tried to expel [its leader Ralph] Uwazuruike, alleging he had compromised the secessionist cause and pocketed some 100 million naira [NGN] [approximately C$454,266] of the group's funds. (International Crisis Group 4 Dec. 2015)

Media sources similarly report that Uwazuruike was removed from the organisation for allegedly embezzling NGN 100 million from the organization (Daily Post 1 Dec. 2015; Nigerian Watch 1 Dec. 2015).

Sources indicate that Uchenna Madu was named the new leader of MASSOB (ibid., Daily Post 1 Dec. 2015). However, according to a December 2015 article in Nigerian newspaper, the Daily Post, Uwazuruike dismissed his alleged expulsion from the group, insisting that he remained the leader of MASSOB (ibid. 5 Dec. 2015). The Vanguard, a Nigerian newspaper, states that "Uwazuruike and Madu led factions have been engaged in a war of words claiming to have expelled each other's faction from the Movement" (Vanguard 22 Feb. 2016).

Nigerian media sources report that on 6 December 2015, Uwazuruike announced a change in the name of MASSOB to Biafra Independent Movement (BIM) (This Day 6 Dec. 2015; Daily Post 6 Dec. 2015; Vanguard 6 Dec. 2015). However, other sources indicate that Uwazuruike formed a MASSOB faction called BIM following his alleged suspension from MASSOB (ibid. 22 Feb. 2016; WANEP 21 Jan. 2016, 2; Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016). According to sources, Uwazuruike stated at a news conference that the name change was due to the what he claimed was the "'introduction of violence'" to the group's activities (This Day 6 Dec. 2015; Vanguard 6 Dec. 2015) by actors he described as "'disgruntled dissidents'" (ibid.), or, a "faction sympathetic to Nnamdi Kanu" (This Day 6 Dec. 2015). The Vanguard notes that Uwazuruike publically declared that this was "'at variance with the non-violen[t] stance of MASSOB over the years'" (Vanguard 6 Dec. 2015). However, according to Nigerian newspaper, This Day, Uwazuruike also called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu (6 Dec. 2015). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a senior lecturer at Covenant University in Nigeria, who specializes in Biafra separatist movements, explained that after falling out with MASSOB (under Uwazuruike) due to "ideological differences on the ways Biafra can be restored," Nnamdi Kanu founded the group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) [1] (Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016). The same source explained that Kanu's arrest [in October 2015 (WANEP 21 Jan. 2016, 2)] sparked protests by his supporters in IPOB, and that the Madu-led faction of MASSOB joined such protests in solidarity (Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016). For information on MASSOB leadership and structure in 2009, see Response to Information Request NGA103197.

2. Treatment by Authorities

International Crisis Group states that in 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan listed MASSOB as an "'extremist group' threatening Nigeria's security" (4 Dec. 2015). According to sources, in a March 2016 interview, the Nigerian president Muhammudu Buhari told Al-Jazeera that agitation for Biafra independence in Nigeria would not be tolerated (Vanguard 6 Mar. 2016; Newsweek 7 Mar. 2016). International Crisis Group also reports that the chief of the Nigerian Army "vowed to 'crush' any threat to the country's unity and territorial integrity" (4 Dec. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Senior Lecturer, arrests of MASSOB and other pro-Biafra activists are "rampant" in Nigeria, adding that "[a]ny time [MASSOB] planned to engage in rallies, marches, commemoration and other activities, [they] often result in clashes with security operatives ending up in the arrest and detention of MASSOB members" (Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016).

2.1 Incidents of Arrests and Violence

According to an article by a Nigerian news website 247 Nigeria News Update, in 2013, when numerous corpses appeared in the Ezu River in Anambra State, MASSOB alleged that their members had been killed and dumped by Nigerian security forces (247 Nigeria News Update [2013]). The Senior Lecturer similarly stated that when approximately 30 bodies were discovered in the river, "MASSOB claimed [they] were their members, arrested and detained by Nigerian security operatives, but never prosecuted for any offences" (Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016). 247 Nigeria News Update indicates that a Senate Committee report that examined the case could not establish the identities of the 19 victims or the perpetrators (247 Nigeria News Update [2013]).

Sources report that in September 2015, 50 Uwazuruike-led MASSOB members were arrested when police stormed Uwazuruike's house in Imo State (Daily Post 7 Sept. 2015; Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016).

According to the US Department of State's Overseas Security Advisory Council's (OSAC) 2016 Crime and Safety Report for Nigeria, in 2015, members of IPOB and MASSOB held "several protests" in Nigeria (US 15 Apr. 2016, 4). The report states that "[t]he protests mainly centered on the arrest of the groups' leadership as well as their dissatisfaction with perceived inequality against the Igbo community" (ibid.). Sources indicate that the demonstrations began after Nigerian authorities arrested IPOB's leader Nnami Kanu (International Crisis Group 4 Dec. 2015; Senior Lecturer 15 July 2015) in October 2015, whom Madu's MASSOB faction supports (ibid.). According to the International Crisis Group, the protests involved "over 10,000 people in some cities" (4 Dec. 2015).

The Vanguard reports that on 2 December 2015 in Onitsha, Anambra State, nine protesters and two police officers were killed (3 Dec. 2015). International Crisis Group similarly indicates that the month-long demonstrations turned violent on 2 December when "at least" eight protesters and two policemen were killed (7 Dec. 2015).

2.1.1 Biafra Independence Anniversary, 30 May 2016

According to sources, during a protest that erupted on the anniversary of Biafra independence [2] on 30 May 2016, the Nigerian Army shot and killed five members of MASSOB and IPOB (Newsweek 31 May 2016; Premium Times 31 May 2016) while wounding eight and arresting nine others (ibid.). Two police officers were also killed during the protest (ibid.; Newsweek 31 May 2016).

International Crisis Group reports that on 30 May 2016, during clashes between pro-Biafra separatists and security forces in several cities in South East Nigeria, at least 20 people were killed (1 June 2016). In its reports on the 30 May events, Amnesty International (AI) states that on 29-30 May 2016, the Nigerian military opened fired on "pro-Biafra supporters" and members of IPOB, and "[a]fter visits to hospitals and morgues, [AI] has confirmed … that at least 17 people were killed and nearly 50 injured. The real number is likely to be higher" (AI 10 June 2016).

Sources report that on 30 May 2016 in Ebonyi state, 200 police officers raided a primary school where the MASSOB members gathered to celebrate the anniversary of Biafra independence, and according to a local MASSOB leader, 320 members, as well as clergymen, were arrested (Daily Post 31 May 2016; Premium Times 30 May 2016b). The Vanguard indicates that the Ebonyi state police laid charges against 92 MASSOB members that were arrested during "their anniversary celebration in the state" (31 May 2016). According to an article in the Daily Trust, a Nigerian newspaper, 101 MASSOB members who were arrested on 30 May 2016 in Ebonyi were granted bail on 31 May 2016 (Daily Trust 1 June 2016). The article further states that 88 of the 92 arrested members are facing charges of "conspiracy, belonging to unlawful society, membership of unlawful group and possession of items with inscriptions calling for the declaration of Biafra nation" (ibid.).

According to sources, 40 MASSOB and BIM members were arrested on 30 May 2016 while gathered in a church in Nsukka, Enugu State (Vanguard 30 May 2016; Premium Times 30 May 2016a). The same sources cite information provided by the Nigerian police as stating that "no fewer" than 13 presumed MASSOB and BIM members were arrested in the Enugu state (ibid., Vanguard 30 May 2016a). According to 1 June 2016 article by the Daily Trust, the 13 arrested MASSOB and BIM members were granted bail (1 June 2016). Further information on the status of the cases could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Pursuit of Persons who Use Bribes to Flee Detention Without Charge

According to the Senior Lecturer,

[i]t is a fact that the police engage in wanton arrests of MASSOB and other pro-Biafran activists who are most of the time not prosecuted but are released on bail after some money has been paid even though police bail in Nigeria is not supposed to cost money. (Senior Lecturer 15 July 2016)

The same source added that while he was not aware of any reports of police pursuing persons who were released from detention after paying a bribe, "report[s] abound of indiscriminate arrests of MASSOB and other pro-Biafra activists who negotiate their freedom by paying bribe to the police and other security operatives in Nigeria" (ibid.). Corroborating information on specific MASSOB related instances of bribery to obtain release could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015,

[p]olice routinely detained suspects without informing them of the charges against them or allowing access to counsel and family members; such detentions often included solicitation of bribes. Provision of bail often remained arbitrary … Numerous detainees alleged police demanded bribes to take them to court hearings or to release them. (US 13 Apr. 2016, 10)

A 2014 report by AI on treatment of detainees in military and police custody in Nigeria similarly states that the "police often detain people, sometimes in large dragnet operations, as a pretext to obtain bribes, alleging involvement in various offences ranging from 'wandering' (loitering) to robbery" (AI 2014, 6). An article in a Nigerian newspaper Peoples Daily, based on an investigation conducted by a journalist who "visited several police stations in Lagos and its environs," indicates that despite the fact that bail is free in Nigeria, "officers won't stop asking for money to release detained persons in their custody" (Peoples Daily 19 June 2015). The article includes interviews with persons and their relatives who were not charged with a crime but were asked to pay for bail, including one person who indicated that "'[t]he police officer refused to charge me to court but I was asked to bail myself with 50,000 [NGN] [approximately C$ 229]'" (ibid.). The article cites another interviewee as stating that "'[w]e paid 6,000 [NGN] [approximately C$ 28] to the police to release our son, even [though] the officer cannot establish his crime'" (ibid).

Further information on instances of police pursuing people who had used bribes to flee detention and who had no charges against them could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For information on treatment of MASSOB members by authorities before 2011, and whether the Nigerian police pursued people who used bribes to flee detention, please refer to Response to Information Request NGA103912.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) is a "leading Regional Peacebuilding organization" with national networks comprising over 500 organizations in West Africa (WANEP n.d.). In its policy brief on pro-Biafra protests in Nigeria, WANEP states that IPOB is a pro-Biafra movement and cites its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, as indicating that it was founded in London in 2012 (21 Jan. 2016, 2).

[2] According to the Newsweek article, "[o]n May 30, 1967, former Nigerian military officer Odumegwu Ojukwu declared a region of southeast Nigeria to be independent, naming it the Republic of Biafra and sparking a bloody three-year civil war" (31 May 2016).

References

Amnesty International (AI). 10 June 2016. "Nigeria: Killing of Unarmed Pro-Biafra Supporters by Military Must Be Urgently Investigated." [Accessed 8 July 2016]

Amnesty International (AI). 2014. 'Welcome to Hell Fire.' Torture and Other Ill-treatment in Nigeria. [Accessed 8 June 2016]

Daily Post. 31 May 2016. Seun Opejobi. "Biafra Day: Ebonyi Police Invades Prayer Session; Arrests Pastors, 320 MASSOB Members." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Daily Post. 6 December 2015. Sylvester Ugwuanyi. "Uwazuruike Renames MASSOB." [Accessed 30 June 2016]

Daily Post. 5 December 2015. Emmanuel Uzodinma. "I Remain MASSOB Leader - Uwazuruike Laughs Off Expulsion." [Accessed 7 July 2016]

Daily Post. 1 December 2015. Ameh Comrade Godwin. "MASSOB Leader, Uwazuruike Expelled for Allegedly Embezzling N100m." [Accessed 7 July 2016]

Daily Post. 7 September 2015. Sylvester Ugwuanyi. "Police Arrest 50 MASSOB Members in Uwazurike's House." [Accessed 7 July 2016]

Daily Trust. 1 June 2016. Nabob Ogbonna and Tony Adibe. "Courts Grant Bail to 101 MASSOB Members in Abakaliki, Enugu." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

International Crisis Group. 1 June 2016. CrisisWatch No. 154. [Accessed 12 July 2016]

International Crisis Group. 4 December 2015. Nnamdi Obasi. "Nigeria's Biafran Separatist Upsurge." [Accessed 30 June 2016]

Newsweek. 31 May 2016. Conor Gaffey. "'There's No Smoking Gun.' A Pro-Biafra Group Denies Claims of Carrying Arms." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Newsweek. 7 March 2016. Conor Gaffey. "Buhari: Nigeria 'Will Not Tolerate' Biafra Agitation." [Accessed 13 July 2016]

247 Nigerian News Update. [2013]. "How Ezu River 19 Were Killed, by Senate [Accessed 20 July 2016]

Nigerian Watch. 1 December 2015. "Massob Expels Its President Ralph Uwazuruike for Embezzling N100m of Its Funds." [Accessed 7 July 2016]

Peoples Daily. 19 June 2015. "Finishing Friday, June 19, 2015." [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Premium Times. 31 May 2016. Gbolahan Adediran. "Why Protesting MASSOB, IPOB Members Were Killed - Nigerian Army." [Accessed 30 June 2016]

Premium Times. 30 May 2016a. Gbolahan Adediran. "Police Arrest 13 Pro-Biafra Activists in Enugu." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Premium Times. 30 May 2016b. James Eze. "Biafra Day: Police Storm Prayer Session, Arrest Pastors, 320 MASSOB Members in Ebonyi." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Senior Lecturer, Covenant University. 15 July 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

This Day. 6 December 2015. Amby Uneze. "Nigeria: Uwazuruike Renames MASSOB, Now Biafra Independent Movement." [Accessed 30 June 2016]

United States (US). 15 April 2016. Department of State, Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). Nigeria 2016 Crime and Safety Report: Lagos. [Accessed 7 July 2016]

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "Nigeria." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 7 July 2016]

Vanguard. 31 May 2016. Peter Okutu. "Biafra: Police Charge 92 MASSOB Members to Court in Ebonyi." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Vanguard. 30 May 2016. Chinenyeh Ozor. "Police Arrests 40 MASSOB Members at Nsukka Church." [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Vanguard. 6 March 2016. Nwabueze Okonkwo. "Biafra Will Not Stand, Buhari Vows." [Accessed 8 July 2016]

Vanguard. 22 February 2016. Ugochukwu Alaribe. "Stop Parading Yourselves as MASSOB Members; Uchenna Madu Tells Uwazuruike, Others." [Accessed 7 July 2016]

Vanguard. 6 December 2015. Chidi Nkwopara. "Biafra: Uwazuruike renames MASSOB." [Accessed 30 June 2015]

Vanguard. 3 December 2015. "9 Killed as Pro-Biafra Protests Turn Bloody." [Accessed 10 July 2016]

West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). 21 January 2016. West Africa Early Warning Network (WARN). Bukola Ademola-Adelehin and Osarieme Amas-Edobor. The Nigeria State and the Biafra Question: Threats to or Opportunities for National Cohesion? [Accessed 12 July 2016]

West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 13 July 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Amnesty International Nigeria; International Crisis Group; MASSOB; Network on Police Reform in Nigeria; Nigeria National Network Coordinator, West African Network for Peacebuilding; Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton University.

Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; Indigenous People of Biafra Government; IPOB; International Business Times; Interpol; IRIN; Naij.com; Nigeria - National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Army; The Nigerian Voice; Radio Biafra; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, Reliefweb; World Igbo Congress.