Posted by By Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka on
The biblical injuction that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but that the Lord God delivers him from them all could be said to have manifested for an Nnewi motorcycle businessman, Pastor Pius Okwuchukwu Ogbuawa.
• Detained for weeks over allegation of sponsoring MASSOB after being kidnapped by unknown gunmen
The biblical injuction that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but that the Lord God delivers him from them all could be said to have manifested for an Nnewi motorcycle businessman, Pastor Pius Okwuchukwu Ogbuawa.
He was thrown into police cell and detained for more than one month on the allegation that he was sponsoring the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), to kidnap people in Anambra State between last January and April.
Incidentally, the cleric said he is innocent. Also, MASSOB has disowned him. Indeed, MASSOB headquarters said that the allegation against Ogbuawa, who is the chairman and Managing Director of P. O. Ogbuawa and Sons Nigeria Limited, Nnewi, was not only false, but also a calculated attempt by saboteurs of its struggle to liberate Igbo to dent the image of MASSOB and the businessman's.
Genesis of the problem
According to Ogbuawa, who is who the pastor of the Church of Jesus Christ, Nnewi, the relative success he made in his new motorcycle spare parts and sale of complete units of new motorcycles earned him an object of hatred and envy.
He said, 'there were several attempts to pirate and imitate our goods, but we resisted it vehemently with law suits for infringement of registered designs and colours at the Federal High Court, Enugu. We got judgment and our competitors bowed to our superior claims and consented to the judgment.
'But you see, in their determination to frustrate us out of business and liquidate us, they hatched another evil plan to cause me to be charged to court for treason, murder and armed robbery and you know all these are capital offences that would have remanded me indefinitely in prison custody and out of circulation and business.
'An opportunity came for them when, sometime in April, three workers of one of them were kidnapped by the same gang that earlier kidnapped me in January and when one of them was released, he told his master that he saw two of my company's motorcycles, that is, my brand, in the hideout of the kidnappers. I was accused of supporting dissidents opposed to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, armed robbery, supporting bandits that rob with arms and murder."
Arrests and detentions
This, according to the auto spare parts dealer, caused his arrested on April 11, 2007 by men of the Area Command Nnewi.
'When the men came, they told me that they had the instructions of the Area Commander to arrest me and bring me to him and that I would be sorry for myself if I resisted because they would shoot my two legs and cripple me. I, however, followed them voluntarily and on getting there, the commander seized my two handsets and questioned me over telephone calls I received, using my down-loaded call records from MTN. He was interested in two numbers which however, were numbers of my daughters.
'On my own, I innocently showed the Area Commander the numbers of the kidnappers for they had called me earlier in the month demanding more ransom from me. But my detractors went to town spreading false rumours that I compiled names of prominent people and gave to the kidnappers, including Igwe Orizu of Nnewi and from that April 11, I was detained at the dreaded SARS cell, Awkuzu for 21 days, in spite of the orders my lawyer got from the court for my release or arraignment. I was transferred to Zone 9 Umuahia, where I was detained for another 14 days until May 16, 2007 when the AIG Zone 9, interviewed me and directed that I be released on bail to report on May 21, 2007.
'But before the May 21 date, I was arrested again on the following May 17, 2007 by a team of policemen from Force CID Abuja, on this same matter. I was detained till June 12, 2007 when the DIG investigated me and others directed me to go home as he saw no merit in the allegations against me. He also gave me back my handsets seized by Nnewi Area Commander since April 11, 2007.
'It is important to tell you that before the intervention of Zone 9, the Anambra State CID Awka had prepared charges of murder, treason and armed robbery against me. So I thank God and the AIG Zone 9 who saved me from that.
Motorcycles at the kidnappers hide-out.
You will recall that on Sunday, January 28, I was in the church when a group of heavily armed robbers and kidnappers overpowered me and took me away to an unknown hideout after inflicting deep cuts on my head. I almost died but for God. I was released after three days, when my family members rallied round, raised and paid the N20 million ransom demanded for five motor cycles and generating sets which they said they would come to collect whenever they had the need, I agreed so as to save my life first.
'So in April, they phoned me and that day, I was not even in Nnewi, they demanded two of the agreed motorcycles. I phoned my manager to keep two motorcycles for the faceless kidnappers who had threatened to eliminate me and wipe my family if they were exposed and they later collected the motorcycles. That's all I know about that.
MASSOB reaction
The MASSOB Deputy Director of Information, Mac David, berated those alleging that it was MASSOB that kidnapped people in the state, maintaining that the group was non-violent and had no deal whatsoever with Ogbuawa on any issue.
Mac David said: 'I want to start by saying that these people or companies should stop forthwith pointing fingers on MASSOB member on any criminal activities that goes on within the state or neighbouring states. It is well known that MASSOB is a non-violent organization whose activities are focused on agitation of the independent state of Biafra. We have never been involved in any act of violence, be it kidnap, robbery a widely been alleged.
'Ogbuawa was once kidnapped by men who claimed to be Biafran soldiers and not MASSOB. The case of the two white men working with Innoson Group and his manager will not be far-fetched with the same people that kidnapped Ogbuawa. The issue of kidnap in Nigeria has always been said to be carried out by the Niger Delta militant groups, whose its hideout is alleged to be at Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the same place both Ogbuawa and the white men were taken to.
'MASSOB vehemently disassociates itself from the allegation of being sponsored by Ogbuawa for anything, talk-less of kidnap. To the best of my knowledge and record of MASSOB, we have never had any discussion or deal with the Nnewi motorcycle businessman for anything whatsoever.
'Those who knew us know that MASSOB does not indulge in such evil things. And come to think of it, how can you say that a group fighting for independence of their people would indulge in kidnapping, abducting and maiming the same people they are fighting for? This is a clear handiwork of those sabotaging our struggle.
'While we wait for the outcome of our case at the Court of Appeal, Abuja we hope that the Nigeria government will not continue holding out leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike and 10 others with him, including our Director of Information, Comrade Uche Madu, having release the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force leader, Asari Dokubo."