Shi’ite’s ban: MASSOB predicts unimaginable crisis

 Magnus Eze, Enugu

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has warned that the recent proscription of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) by the Federal Government might ignite chain of crisis in the country.

MASSOB leader, Uchenna Madu, in a statement, yesterday, asked the government to be ready to harvest the crops of the massive violence which it has systematically enthroned.

The declaration of the Shi’ite Muslims as terrorist movement and labelling the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as terrorist organisation, he said, amounted to sheer hypocrisy and biasness on the part of government.

The group wondered how such a decision was taken when President Muhammadu Buhari kept mum over the terrorist and genocidal activities of the Myetti Allah Cattle BreedersAssociation of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the “murderous Fulani herdsmen” which he allegedly treated with kid’s glove.

“This ill-wind that blows nobody good and the ticking bomb Nigeria is comfortably sitting on will soon explode to an irreparable damage.

“IPOB and Shi’ite Muslims are not terrorist organizations as proscribed by President Buhari. This latest attitude of President Muhammed Buhari has eloquently shown how desirous he planned to convert the Nigeria state into an Islamic caliphate under the total control of Fulani ethnic group.

“Proscription of IPOB and IMN is a clarion call for collaborative actions and harmonisations among the pressure and ethnic based groups of southern, western and middle belt regions of Nigeria in defence of their respective regions. The proscription also calls for urgent synergies among the political, religious; traditional and opinion progressive leaders of Southern, Western and Middle Belt regions of this geographical expression called Nigeria,” MASSOB stated.

The Presidency last week secured a controversial order from a high court to ban the group.

The government based the order on the protests by the group which turned violent in the past week leading to the death of over a dozen people.

But spokesman of the group, Abdullahi Musa, said despite the order, the group will not relent in its activities, which he described as religious in nature.