On Monday, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, called on the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra and other secessionist agitators in the South-East area to end all forms of “anarchy” in the region and engage in dialogue.
On the occasion of the annual observance of Igbo Day, Prof George Obiozor, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, called for a restoration to normalcy in Igboland.
IPOB leaders, he says, should be aware of the dangers that violence has presented in Igboland, and that the South-East geopolitical zone “must avoid being a race that has voluntarily chosen to perish in violence and insecurity.”
He claims that what is happening in Igboland today – Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, and Ebonyi States — is destruction and devastation rather than liberation.
Chief Alex Ogbonnia, the group’s National Publicity Secretary, made this statement available to The Punch, headed, “Stop Anarchy In Igbo Land, Go For Dialogue.”
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, traditional rulers and stakeholders call for an end towards anarchy in Igbo land,” Obiozor stated.
“Our youths particularly the leaders of IPOB, should take notice of the danger violence has posed in Igbo land,” he stated, noting that Ndigbo “must avoid being a race that has voluntarily chosen to perish in violence and insecurity, and we must stop threatening ourselves and there must be a stop to violence and violence rhetoric. Something other than the initial objectives of IPOB is taking place and it is dangerous.”
“Today, what we are seeing in Igbo land is not liberation but Ala Igbo destruction and devastation. It is a national tragedy for Igbos. The liberty and freedom of Ndigbo are threatened internally and externally. I call on IPOB leaders to reassert the authority and control of the organization,” he added.
Continuing, Obiozor persuaded the secessionists to engage in dialogue rather than resort to violence.
“We repeat our preference for dialogue instead of violence or military solutions to national problems. The dialogue should not be delayed further,” he stated.
“For Ndigbo, the demand is simple, that the Nigerian Federation should be sustained and have a sense of stability; it must be a union of equals and the composite units must have the ability to survive without begging the center.
“We must tell ourselves the truth or keep deceiving ourselves by ignoring the calls for decentralization and devolution of power in Nigeria. Ironically, in history, in societies where truth comes last, tragedy comes first. We must learn the lessons of history, particularly our Nigerian history on how the story began. Nigeria must avoid being a failed state.”
Since the beginning of August, IPOB has issued a number of sit-at-home orders in the South-East, threatening fire and brimstone and making demands for the release of its embattled leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been detained by the Department of State Services since June 2021 and is facing terrorism-related charges in court.
During the sit-at-home days that have paralyzed economic activity in the region for the past eight weeks, many deaths and other casualties have been reported.
In the previous few months, hoodlums suspected of being IPOB members have razed numbers of police stations, offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and other government institutions.
