By Chimezie Godfrey
Headquarters Operation UDO KA has declared as illegal the directive reportedly issued by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), asking churches in the South-East and parts of the South-South to hold memorial services in honour of civil war victims.
In a statement issued by the Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, the military said the directive was provocative and allegedly aimed at disrupting the peace currently being enjoyed in the region.
Operation UDO KA, while empathising with families who lost loved ones during the Nigerian Civil War, acknowledged the sacrifices made by fallen heroes in preserving the unity of the country.
According to the statement, there are already recognised national occasions approved by the Federal Government for honouring fallen heroes, including the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Nigerian Army Day Celebration and Independence Day.
“Operation UDO KA remembers with compassion the sacrifices of the fallen heroes which can never be forgotten. However, true honour lies in unity, peace and lawful remembrance, not in illegal directives by some irredentists aimed at sowing division and causing panic in the region,” the statement read.
The military warned that any gathering or activity outside the framework of lawful national commemorations would not be tolerated.
The statement further alleged that sympathisers of MASSOB and IPOB planned to use the directive to create chaos within the South-East region.
“Clerics, innocent citizens and youths are therefore strongly advised to stay away from such plans, which are designed to destabilise the peace enjoyed in the entire South-East,” it stated.
Operation UDO KA reassured churches, residents and business owners to go about their lawful activities without fear, stressing that any individual or group found disrupting public peace or religious activities would face the full weight of the law.
The military also reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Armed Forces, in collaboration with other security agencies, to safeguarding lives and property across the South-East.
Army Declares MASSOB Directive on Civil War Memorials Illegal, Warns Against Planned Gatherings
