Ohanaeze accuses security agencies of working in tandem for second pogrom against Ndigbo

Enugu – The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has expressed
concern over the inability of the security
agencies to arrest any of the northern youths
who threatened Ndigbo living in the north with
quit notice some weeks ago irrespective of the
directive from both the Acting President, Prof
Yemi Osinbajo and the Kaduna State governor,
Mallam Nsair El-Rufai

It said that the action of the security agencies
which were firmly in the hands of northern
officers amounted to double standards which
could lead to the second pogrom against Igbo in
the north.
President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief
John Nnia Nwodo made this known while
inaugurating the Planning and Strategic
Committee of the pan-Igbo group led by the
former Governor of the Central Bank, CBN, Prof
Chukwuma Soludo in Enugu Saturday day.
He said that the threat by the northern youths
with obvious backing from some northern elders
amounted to threats to declare war or mop up
operation against Ndigbo.
Nwodo said, “What remains worrisome is the
incapacity of the police to make needful arrests
in this situation, pointing to double standards
from our security forces.
“A desire and public proclamation for the state
of Biafra cannot be too different from a quit
notice which amounts to a declaration for a new
state of Nigeria without the Igbo.
“In the latter case, an obvious violation of our
constitution points to treason and a declaration
to take inventory and acquire property not
belonging to one amounts to conversion and
declaration to commence mop up action if the
quit notice is not complied with at a certain date
is a declaration of war.
“We have as Ohanaeze maintained absolute
restraint in our public utterances. The Acting
President by his interactions with concerned
groups shows he is prepared to engage
everyone in order to ensure that justice is done.
“His proclamations that government will
guarantee the security of life of all Nigerians and
their properties wherever they live is reassuring.
“What worries us however, is whether the Arewa
youths are acting out a plan that may spiral out
of control. Why have disclosures that some
soldiers are talking with politicians not led to
any arrest?
“Why have none of the Arewa youths been
arrested in spite of the orders of the Inspector
General of Police and the Chief Security Officer
of Kaduna State, Mallam El-Rufai?…
“If our security forces, formally in command and
control by mainly officers of Northern Nigeria fail
to carry out lawful and needful arrests of
criminals among Arewa youths, or coup plotters
in the army and their civilian collaborators, how
can we expect them to heed to the orders of the
Acting President to protect our people in the
north?
“What should we advise our people in the North
to do in the circumstance? Are the rhetoric’s of
today not similar to the rhetoric between 1966
pogrom? If there should be a repeat
performance, what explanation can we make to
our people?
“Against this background, our young men and
women are spiralling out of control. The jury is
still out in Igbo land regarding the choice
between self-determination and restructuring as
a solution to our current impasse.
“Whereas a lot of the elderly, the business class
and the professionals want to preserve our
continued existence as one indivisible, united
and restructured Nigeria, a number of the young
ones are resolute about self-determination.
“How do we resolve this duplicity that gives the
impression that we all are on one of the sides
depending on who is making the assessment…?”
Nwodo, however, asked the committee which
has 10 former governors as members to design
an economic blue-print that would foresee the
following, “An integrated railway network linking
all the seven Ohanaeze States; annual growth of
one million palm trees in each of the seven
states within the next five years as well as a
corresponding growth of attractive processing
industries for palm produce but on high,
medium and small scale levels.
He also, asked them to design a policy “for the
maximisation of our coal resources for power
generation, and another geological inventory of
all our resources and carefully scripted plan for
engaging the Federal Government in their
exploration.”
Furthermore, Nwodo asked the committee to
develop plan for a refinery for petroleum
resources as well as plan for a paradigm shift to
greenhouses methodology for vegetable
production using the Netherlands experience as
a typology.
“There must be a deliberate policy for
development of ICT hubs in our states to
encourage our human capital development;
“An educational curriculum geared to
development of skills among our young men
and women; recommendation of appropriate
policies to our government to improve the
educational standards in our schools at all
levels and growth of reliable financial institutions
for mortgage, small scale business financing
and research,” among others, he added.
Prof Soludo who spoke later promised that the
members would do their best to meet the
expectations of Ndigbo, especially at this period
of “our history.”