The now deposed leader of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has been accused of large-scale fraud on his own people over the Biafran International Passport saga.
It is alleged that MASSOB generated over N500 million from the sale of the passport alone. But incidentally, it was a passport to nowhere, as none of those who obtained it could travel with it. Findings by a correspondent indicate disenchantment and disappointment among former loyalists of Uwazuruike who bought the Biafran passport.
A holder of the passport, Ngwoke Ibem Ngwoke, who has since dumped Uwazuruike, told a reporter that whatever led people to rush to buy the passport can best be described as mass deception’, skillfully deployed by an unscrupulous spin doctor. He said: �
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I paid N10,000 to buy the passport. At the time, I was the Administrative Secretary. Members and interested persons paid the sum of N10,000 into a designated bank account at First Bank, then presented the teller to me.
I verified and issued receipt and they in turn took the receipt to the passport officer, who was delegated by Uwazuruike, one Ambrose Anyasoh, who will see the receipt and then issue the passport. “Based on the assurances given to us by Uwazuruike, which we didn’t know were all lies and make-believe, we even urged people to buy and use the passport for ease of travel. “Uwazuruike told us that he was set to travel with the Biafran passport, assuring us that there was no hindrance or security encumbrances travelling with the Biafran passport.
One of our aged members bought Uwazuruike’s story like many of us did at the time and convinced his daughter who was about travelling to Europe to use the passport. The lady was arrested in Lagos and was detained for nearly two years. Uwazuruike did nothing to free her,” Ibem said. He maintained that today, four of Uwazuruike’s children and wife are overseas and none of them travelled with the Biafran passport.
Under Uwazuruike, each member also paid N10,000 for Biafra International Passport to Ralph Uwazuruike. Since 1999 to 2014, members have contributed about N300 million to Uwazuruike’s account while about N200 million was also paid into a Zenith Bank account of Confidence Uwazuruike, a son of the former leader.
I verified and issued receipt and they in turn took the receipt to the passport officer, who was delegated by Uwazuruike, one Ambrose Anyasoh, who will see the receipt and then issue the passport. “Based on the assurances given to us by Uwazuruike, which we didn’t know were all lies and make-believe, we even urged people to buy and use the passport for ease of travel. “Uwazuruike told us that he was set to travel with the Biafran passport, assuring us that there was no hindrance or security encumbrances travelling with the Biafran passport.
One of our aged members bought Uwazuruike’s story like many of us did at the time and convinced his daughter who was about travelling to Europe to use the passport. The lady was arrested in Lagos and was detained for nearly two years. Uwazuruike did nothing to free her,” Ibem said. He maintained that today, four of Uwazuruike’s children and wife are overseas and none of them travelled with the Biafran passport.
Under Uwazuruike, each member also paid N10,000 for Biafra International Passport to Ralph Uwazuruike. Since 1999 to 2014, members have contributed about N300 million to Uwazuruike’s account while about N200 million was also paid into a Zenith Bank account of Confidence Uwazuruike, a son of the former leader.
MASSOB has contributed and generated nearly N4 billion in the last 16 years under Uwazurike. Ngwoke also stated that the issue of Biafran International Passport was not the only initiative of Uwazuruike to allegedly exploit the largely impoverished membership of MASSOB. Ngwoke recalled the launching of a MASSOB plate number. He said: “Speaking about the area I operated and know very well, many people in the Nsukka area of Enugu State were clamped down in detention for several months for buying and using the MASSOB number plate as recommended by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.
"And there was never a compensation or refund for damages caused the buyers.” Another respondent, who spoke to New Telegraph and wanted to be addressed simply as ‘Chief’ explained that the Biafran International Passport was apparently printed in Lagos and brought down to the South-East by one Benjamin Onuegbu (a.k.a Papa) who also prints the Biafran income tax receipt and coordinates Western operations of the group at the time.
“I bought the Biafran International Passport around 2012. I paid to Anyasoh who was mandated by Chief Uwazuruike to handle the passport issuance.
"We were strongly assured that no government could question or reject the Biafran International Passport. Our then leader told us that most African nations like Ghana have endorsed the passport, stressing that it was safe to travel with it to any part of the world. We didn’t have any reason to doubt him as we believed he must have negotiated and received some assurances from all the relevant agencies and embassies.”
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