Ojukwu to receive full military burial

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the former leader of Biafra, will be give a full military burial on March 2, 2012. At a press conference the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, said “I want to announce that President Goodluck Jonathan has approved that Ojukwu be given military burial according to military tradition."

A family source also spoke to a newspaper and said that the army will be handling all protocols involving the movement of the body, coffin, clothing and logistics. He said, "The Army has assured that it would be involved in the burial of late Ojukwu and that it would accord him all the military rites due to a senior military officer of his stature."

Ojukwu was a very senior officer in the Nigerian Army and the first Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria before the civil war started and he had all his benefits restored as a retired military officer after he was granted a full pardon.

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, also expressed their support for the Federal Government’s decision saying, “ “The Igbos and MASSOB welcome this good news which has been the center of our agitation since the death of Ojukwu. The decision to take up the burial by the Federal Government will put an end to the major cause of the problem as they have agreed to take up the heroic burial of Ojukwu which they wanted to deny him."

"The decision to stop MASSOB from participating during Ojukwu’s burial as a group, which was reached at the meeting with the burial committee and representatives of Chief of Army Staff and Ojukwu’s family, shall be abided with since the Federal Government has boldly and gallantly decided to give Ojukwu his full right as a hero. Chief Ralph Uwazurike has directed that the Igbos shall cooperate to make the occasion successful and has also directed that MASSOB members should accept the state burial of Chief Ojukwu”

MASSOB had earlier agreed to allow the Federal Government to complete their burial rites on the first day and take over the second day.

Ojukwu’s body is expected to arrive in Owerri, Imo state around 11 a.m. on February 27, and will lie in state until the second day when it is expected to depart for Abia state

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