The President General of apex Igbo social-cultural group,
the Ohaneze Ndigbo, John Nwodo, has given reasons the threat by Northern Youths
Coalition to force Igbo out of the North should not be swept under the carpet
by Ndigbo, citing the different killings that have taken place in the past.
Nwodo, Going back memory lane, cited several of such
incidents since 2015, saying the Federal, States or security agents did nothing
to arrest or prosecute their killers.
Nwodo, speaking on Channels Television Sunrise Daily,
insisted that Igbo people living in the north are in danger following the
recent threat.
He said even the Northern Governor and other prominent
individuals who have spoken contrary to the youths’ threats, will not be able
to stop them when they strike.
According to him, “We have several reasons to bother about
the speech by Northern youths because these are discordant voices. You did not
mentioned that Ango Abdullahi speaking on behalf of the Northern Elders Forum,
NEF, it does appear, that even if he doesn’t have the mandate to speak for the
elders, incidents that have happened prior to the outburst of the Northern
youths indicate that the governors and those who have spoken to the contrary
may not have the capacity to stop the building hate that may precipitate
insecurity to lives of non Northerners.
“What do I mean by this, since 2015, five Igbo people have
been lynched in Abuja. On the 23rd of September 2015, Arinze Chikwelu, from
Enugu State, on an errand to buy rechargeable lantern, and on demand for
change, was accused to be a thief and was stabbed 47 times and the police has
been unable to do anything about this.
“Another was Maduabuchi Ezenwa from Imo State who was
lynched following altercation with Hausa trader. Also Ikechukwu Ugwu from Enugu
State, after barbing, entered a “Keke,” paid money and asked for change, change
was refused, and instead he was accused of being “barawo” and was lynched to
death.
“Ndubuisi Obika from Abia state was beheaded in his farm in
Abuja and his head was not found until two weeks later.
“Now in May this year, a young man, pressed to urinate,
urinated in a gutter closed to a Mosque in an area in Abuja called Gwagwa, he
was lynched to death, nobody has been arrested and prosecuted. In October 2016,
Sylvester Oziria from Anambra state was killed in Palado, Dutse Local
Government Area of Jigawa state.
“In Niger State, Emmanuel Chukwumaije from Enugu state was
killed in Pandigori in Rafy Local Government Area after being accused of
blasphemy, properties, shops and churches belonging to Igbo were burnt. Even
when the local government Chairman said the young man was innocent, no
compensation has been paid.
“And just last Thursday, a young man called Ikenna Nwabueze,
while all this is going on, was killed in Kano, and police has not arrested any
suspect. Of course you know about the case of Bridget in Kano in June of last
year.
“I see the recent threat by the Northern youths as a
quintessence of a building hate, a building despise for Ndigbo and a seeming acquiesce
by the federal government to enact a nation in which some are like the animal
farm. Some animals are more equal than others.
“The young men in the north see the country as an empire and
see any agitation from any part of the country that they are not fairly treated
as threat to deny them of their power. There is a building crescendo all over
the country of a disposition that is antithesis to national unity and a
domicility of government and law-enforcement agents.
“Even the northern youths have been quoted as saying ‘We
dare the police to arrest us.’ What does this mean? It is anarchy. They dare
the police to arrest them. The northern youths have declared a new state that
excludes the South-east of Nigeria.
“They have described measures to actualize this. Everything
in their speech showed a concluded crime. You have declared an intention and
have consummated it. They have declared to take inventory of property belonging
to Ndigbo.”
By John Owen Nwachukwu
