Picture Of Members Of The Biafrian Group That Seized Enugu Radio Station

Leader of the group, Onwuka on the left with other members

A Biafra separatist group yesterday failed in its bid to overrun the Enugu State Government and seize a radio station.

The police stopped the Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM) from achieving its aim and arrested its leader, Ben Onwuka and 12 others.

A police sergeant and a member of the group died during a gun battle at the Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS).

Onwuka, a United Kingdom-based lawyer, armed with a CD Rom for a broadcast to declare a “Republic of Biafra”, led members to the station. The defunct Eastern region attempted secession as Biafra Republic which led to a 30-month Civil War between 1967 and January 1970.

In the early hours of March 7, the group attacked the Enugu Government House to hoist the flag of the still-born Republic of Biafra. They insisted that Enugu was still the capital of Biafra.

Onwuka and over 500 of his members were on November 5, 2012 arrested by the police and detained at the Enugu prisons, after the group re-declared the Republic of Biafra.

The police in March declared Onwuka wanted after the attempted invasion of the Government House.

Yesterday, the  BZM members, numbering about 20, as early as 4.30 am sneaked into the premises of the radio station where Onwuka intended to broadcast the rebirth of the Republic of Biafra.

They chased out the security men and entered the studio where they met a handful of employees who were on night shift.

But, the radio station was going through challenges as a result of which every gadget was switched off. They were on the verge of forcing some technical employees to switch on the gadgets when the police arrived.

The security personnel who ran out of the radio house alerted the police and four policemen arrived in two different police cars.

Despite being four, they gunned down one of them and arrested two. One of the policemen was overpowered by some of the BZM members hiding in the bush. He was disarmed and shot him. An Inspector was injured.

When reinforcement came, the BZM members had escaped by scaling the fence of the Radio House.

But the police chased and caught up with them, arresting the leader, Onwuka and 12 others.

Enugu Police chief, Mohammed Abubakar Mohammed said the suspects invaded the Enugu Broadcasting Service with the intention of setting the place ablaze.

He paraded the arrested members before the media.

Mohammed said: “When they invaded the place and by the time we reached there, we discovered a lot of arms, a lot of machetes, they went there with 25 litres of petrol with about 46 empty beer bottles and one Biafran flag.

“They went there with even guns because when the police confronted them, they shot and killed the sergeant and in the process of trying to prevent them from setting the place ablaze, they also had a casualty. One of them was shot dead.

“About 13 of them were arrested including the leader, Benjamin Igwe Onwuka,”  the commissioner said.

According to him, they got access into the studio, got the people in the studio and wanted them to give them access for a live broadcast to the people.

Said he: “They had a CD Rom where the details of what they wanted to say are contained.

“The highlights of what they wanted to tell the public was an appeal calling for all boys from Obiagu, Ogui and entire Enugu to come out. They also asked students to come out.  The people with Keke NAPEP to come out.  They wanted to order all businesses to be closed today (yesterday). All schools, markets, offices to be closed and all the elected government officials to surrender all government property in their possession by midday. These people went there in a sense to overturn the government,” he said.

The police chief warned: “I want to sound this note of warning to any group of persons or individuals that are planning to foment trouble in whatever form to cause breach of the peace to any community and to any society in this country, we shall not tolerate that.”

The police refused to allow the suspects to be interviewed by reporters.