The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has accused some unnamed politicians and their agents of trying to instigate the north against the Igbos ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The group stated this while reacting to a media report alleging the killing of 100 northerners in the South East in the last one week.
In a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze described the story credited to the “Coordinator of the Northern Consensus Forum, Dr. Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu as a lie from the pit of hell.
The Northern forum had “directed commodity traders and truck drivers to shun the South East of Nigeria over incessant killings of their members by members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).” It also said that they have declared three days warning strike due to the constant killing of the northerners in the South East.
However, in its statement released, Ohaneze Ndigbo accused the northern group of playing politics with the peace and stability of the country. Ogbonnia said Aliyu was not among the northern leaders resident in the South East and as such was not in position to speak on the relationship between northerners and people of the South East.
Ogbonnia acknowledged the relentless efforts of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the clergy, traditional rulers and indeed all the well-meaning Igbo on the adverse consequences of youth restiveness in the region.
He noted that such false alarm by the northern group was a security threat capable of causing pandemonium across the country. The Igbo group, therefore, called on security agencies to interrogate the coordinator of the Forum with appropriate punishment meted to him and his cohorts to serve as a deterrent to other alarmists.
The statement in part reads
”The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to the front page report by a newspaper on Friday, to the effect that the Coordinator of the Northern Consensus Forum, Dr Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu and others have directed commodity traders and truck drivers to shun the South-East of Nigeria over incessant killings of their members by members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
They have declared three days warning strike due to the constant killing of the northerners in the South East.
The most disturbing part of the report is that ‘not less than 100 northerners were murdered in the South-East within last week’.
In the first place, it is a lie from the pit of hell that ‘not less than 100 northerners were murdered in the South East within last week’.
The said Dr. Aliyu has not been in the picture among the Northern leaders resident in the South East and as such is not in position to speak on the relationship between the Northerners and the people of the South-East.
One begins to imagine the very intendment of the purveyor of such a false, mendacious and devilish alarm.
An introspection will reveal the damage caused on the image of Nigeria among the committee of nations that 100 persons are killed in one week.
And many more questions that ordinarily will compel the security agents to interrogate the said Coordinator of the Northern Consensus Forum, Dr Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu and adequate measures taken to serve as a deterrent to other alarmists.”
Ohanaeze noted that there had been unrest in the South-East just as other parts of the country are also experiencing restiveness, but said it would be unfair to make unfounded claims using it as an excuse.
“There is no gainsaying the relentless efforts of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the clergy, traditional rulers and indeed all the well- meaning Igbo about the adverse consequences of youth restiveness in the South-East.
We have in that trepidation repeatedly called on the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to come to our aid by adopting a political solution to the agitations by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
We note with sadness, that various forms of insecurity such as banditry, kidnapping, herders-farmers clash, etc have come to define our daily lives. We hold the view that while some aspects of the insecurity in Nigeria are amorphous, the IPOB are a known group that can be negotiated out of the present socio-economic quagmire.”
