Amnesty International's Annual Report 2002 stated the following on the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB):

Leading members and supporters of the Oodua People's Congress and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), two politically active groups campaigning for greater autonomy for their ethnic and territorial constituencies, were arrested on a regular basis, often to be released without trial. Neither organization has clarified its position on the use and advocacy of violence in their political campaigns.

MASSOB leader Ralph Uwazuruike was arrested several times, the latest in August after he attended a meeting in Lagos. Three other members of the organization were also arrested. They were detained for two weeks before being released without charge or trial (2002).

Human Rights Watch reported the following in its 2002 World Report:

The police clamped down on the activities of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), a group which advocates autonomy for the Igbo people. MASSOB meetings were repeatedly and violently broken up by police, their offices raided, and hundreds of MASSOB members arrested; many were detained without charge. Their leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested several times. Police summarily executed several MASSOB members, in particular during a police attack on their office in Okigwe in Abia state, in February, when at least ten MASSOB members were reportedly killed (2002).

Several sources reported on the alleged killing by police of MASSOB members in Okigwe, Imo state in February 2001 (The News 21 Jan. 2002; This Day 12 Feb. 2001; Vanguard Daily 18 Feb. 2001) and the "recent" action by police against the group (Post Express 4 Mar. 2001; Vanguard Daily 5 Mar. 2001; ibid. 26 Feb. 2001). The police denied the killings, but confirmed that MASSOB leader Ralph Uwazurike had been arrested and prosecuted (PM News 15 Feb. 2001; BBC 8 Feb. 2001).

On 18 May 2001, some 22 MASSOB members were arrested by police in Enugu as they were travelling to Okigwe for allegedly planning to mark 22 May as the "new Biafra independence anniversary" (Vanguard 22 May 2001).

On 30 May 2001, police in Port Harcourt, Rivers state arraigned 45 MASSOB members charged with treason (Guardian 31 May 2001). The accused had allegedly "declar[ed] a state of Biafra by hoisting the defunct secessionist flag at Oyigbo (ibid.).

Vanguard reported that an advisor to MASSOB, Dr. Marvin Iheomu, was declared missing by the movement after he was allegedly kidnapped from his Okigwe home on 22 May 2001 (29 May 2001).

According to Uwazurike, police again attacked members of MASSOB on 4 December 2001, leaving some 10 dead (The News 21 Jan. 2002). MASSOB members also hold the police responsible for burning "Biafran House," the MASSOB headquarters in Okigwe, on 19 December 2001 (ibid.).

On 19 December 2001, an article in This Day claimed that MASSOB had suspended Uwazurike as its leader for a "probe period of 30 days" for "allegedly embarking on moves contrary to the beliefs of the group," and that MASSOB's Central Working Committee (CWC) and Board of National Coordinators (BNC) were setting up a seven-man committee to investigate Uwazurike's activities. The CWC and BNC declared that the "fourth stage of the Biafran struggle would commence by the first quarter of 2002 with a call for referendum" (ibid.). The information contained in this article could not be corroborated by other sources consulted by the Research Directorate, and later articles continued to refer to Ralph Uwazurike as the leader of MASSOB (This Day 16 Mar. 2002; Vanguard 5 Apr. 2002).

Agence France Presse reported that Uwazurike was arrested on 22 December 2001 in Lagos by the State Security Service (23 Dec. 2001; ibid. 25 Dec. 2001). He was released on 24 December 2001 after being taken to Abuja for questioning "on the activities of his group" (ibid.).

According to Uwazurike, some 1000 members of MASSOB are imprisoned across the country (This Day 16 Mar. 2002; Vanguard 5 Apr. 2002).

Human Rights Watch stated that according to a MASSOB legal advisor, MASSOB members were "targeted by government authorities, as well as the police, throughout 2000 and 2001" (May 2002, section 4). There were reports of Bakassi Boys being used against members of MASSOB in Abia state, and some 53 MASSOB members were killed by the Bakassi Boys since 2000 (ibid.). Based on information provided by the Centre for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN), a Lagos-based Nigerian non-governmental organization, tensions between MASSOB and the Bakassi Boys appeared to increase in 2001, and in October 2001 there were "violent clashes" between the two groups (ibid.). MASSOB leaders claimed that "the governor had instigated the violence and was using the Bakassi Boys against MASSOB because they were not supporting his policies" (ibid.).

MASSOB has been listed as one of the groups that would be affected by a draft law, the Prohibition of Certain Associations Act 2002 (IRIN 24 Apr. 2002), sent before the National Assembly for debate on 25 March 2002 (This Day 22 Apr. 2002). This new legislation, proposed by Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, would ban "certain groups of persons, associations and quasi-military groups" in an effort to "reduce terror in the country" (ibid.).

For the text of an interview with MASSOB's Northern coordinator Samuel Ike, in which he commented on some of the views and objectives of the movement, please refer to the attached article (Vanguard 8 Dec. 2001).

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 to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 25 December 2001. "Leader of Nigerian Separatist Group Released." (NEXIS)

_____. 23 December 2001. "Campaigner for Revival of 'Biafra' Arrested in Lagos." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International (AI). 2002. Annual Report 2002. "Nigeria". http://web.amnesty.org/80256BC0003DE77D/0/BDD3B82D7B0291E180256BC0003B390A?Open&Highlight=2,massob [Accessed 10 June 2002]

BBC News. 8 February 2001. Barnaby Philips. "Nigerian Police Arrest Igbo Separatist." (NEXIS)

The Guardian [Lagos]. 31 May 2001. "Nigeria: Police Arraign 45 Massob Members for Alleged Treason." (Africa News 31 May 2001/NEXIS)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 2002. World Report 2002. "Nigeria." http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/africa8.html [Accessed 10 June 2002]

_____. May 2002. Vol. 14, No. 5A. "Nigeria: The Bakassi Boys: The Legitimization of Murder and Torture." http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/nigeria2/nigeria0502-03.htm [Accessed 10 June 2002]

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). 24 April 2002. "Nigeria: IRIN Focus on Moves to Outlaw Ethnic and Militia Bodies." http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27453&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA [Accessed 10 June 2002]

The News [Lagos]. 21 January 2002. "Nigeria: The Burning of Biafra." (Africa News 17 Jan. 2002/NEXIS).

Post Express [Ikeja]. 4 March. 2001. "Nigeria: Police Invade Ijaw Youths Headquarters." (Africa News 5 Mar. 2001/NEXIS)

P.M. News [Lagos]. 15 February 2001. "Nigeria: Police Accuse Massob of Terrorism." (Africa News 15 Feb. 2001/NEXIS)

This Day [Lagos]. 22 April 2002. "Nigeria: Senators Back Bill on Ethnic Militias." (Africa News 22 Apr. 2002/NEXIS)

_____. 16 March 2002. "Nigeria: 63 Masob Members Killed, 1000 Detained Says Leader." (Africa News 16 Mar. 2002/NEXIS)

_____. 19 December 2001. "Nigeria: MASSOB Suspends Leader." (Africa News 19 Dec. 2001/NEXIS)

_____. 12 February. 2001. "Nigeria: South-East Governors Condemn Killing of MASSOB Members." (Africa News 12 Feb. 2001/NEXIS)

Vanguard [Apapa]. 5 April 2002. "Nigeria: Inspector General of Police Urged to Release Detained Massob Members." (FBIS-AFR-2002-0406 8 Apr. 2002/WNC)

_____. 29 May 2001. Nigeria: Massob Alleges Kidnap of Adviser." (Africa News 29 May 2001/NEXIS)

_____. 22 May 2001. "Nigeria: Police Arrest 22 Massob Men in Enugu." (Africa News 22 May 2001/NEXIS)

Vanguard Daily [Lagos]. 5 March 2001. "Nigeria: OPC Warns Police Over Killings." (Africa News 6 Mar. 2001/NEXIS)

_____. 26 February 2001. "Nigeria: Afenifere Denounces Police Attack on OPC, Massob." (Africa News 26 Feb. 2001/NEXIS)

_____. 18 February 2001. "Nigeria: The Okigwe Massacre." (Africa News 20 Feb. 2001/NEXIS)

Vanguard [Apapa]. 8 December 2001. "Nigeria: We Will Boycott 2003 Election - Ike, MASSOB Leader." (Africa News 10 Dec. 2001/NEXIS)

Africa Confidential 2001-2002

Africa Research Bulletin 2001-2002

Biafra Foundation

Europa World Year Book 2001

IRB Databases

NEXIS

US Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 2000-2001.

WNC