A mild drama played itself out at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, Leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), was asked to identify himself before being issued his Boarding Pass.

Uwazuruike had been booked on the Aero Contractors’ 9:15 a.m. flight to Lagos yesterday but was told by officers at the Check-In Counter that he had to produce a means of identification before he could be checked in.

A News Express Correspondent at the scene reports that the MASSOB Leader, who was being assisted to check-in by an aide, rummaged through his bulky purse for minutes, muttering: “Do I have a passport? What do I use to identify myself now?”

After searching for sometime, Uwazuruike announced that he did not have any ID Card or International Passport with him. As the chief campaigner for the revival of the shortlived Republic of Biafra (1967 – 70), the MASSOB Leader had several times in the past said that he is a Biafran citizen and, so, does not need a Nigerian Passport.

“There was a dilemma on the part of the officers at the Check-In Counter as to what to do, but the problem was soon resolved when they said Uwazruruike could be checked in if he had a cheque book with him. The MASSOB Leader promptly produced a cheque book and was immediately checked in,” reports the News Express Correspondent who witnessed the incident.

Uwazuruike, who flew first class, then proceeded to the VIP Lounge and was given VIP treatment until he boarded the flight.   

*Photo: Uwazuruike