—Yoruba activist vows to defend Ndigbo as IGP orders maximum force on agitators
By Our Reporter
Abia State Elders Consultative Forum says it has uncovered a plot for ethnic cleansing of the Igbo nation using security agencies.
The forum disclosed this in a communique jointly signed by the National President of the forum, Arch Bishop Princewill Ariwodo and the National Secretary, Dr Joseph Adiele after its emergency meeting in Umuahia.
The meeting was aimed at reviewing the security situation in the country.
The communique declared opposition to the alleged shoot-on-sight directive given to the military at the wake of the rising insecurity in the South-East zone and urged the Presidency to immediately reverse the order.
“The Presidency should immediately rescind such divisive and inciting orders to shoot protesting Igbo youths. Again, the ill-motivated postings of core Muslim military commanders to the South-East should be reversed without further delay,” it said.
According to the communique, the implementation of the said shoot-on-sight order is to commence in Orlu in Imo State and then spread to other states in the zone.
It alleged that the deployment of core Northern officers to man Eastern military commands was part of the ploy towards actualising ethnic cleansing of Ndigbo and concealing evidences.
It frowned at the indiscriminate arrest and extra-judicial killings of Igbo youths after tagging them members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) or operatives or sponsors of the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The communique stated that such action amounted to genocide in disguise.
”The youths arrested should, henceforth, be charged and given a fair trial in a court of competent jurisdiction, while those killed through this gruesome assassination and extra-judicial killings should be accounted for.
“The perpetrators should be punished in line with the constitution of the country,” it stated.
The communique demanded justice for Miss Uchechi Eyioma, a nurse killed in Obigbo, Rivers State by security agents after allegedly tagging her a member of IPOB.
”Igbo youths and men are erroneously arrested, labelled IPOB members and killed like chickens without fair hearing and trial in a competent court of law.
”A case in point is Mazi Eze Awurum arrested in Aba. Worse still is the assassination of an innocent lady, Miss Uchechi Eyioma at Obigbo, Rivers State after tagging her IPOB member,” it stated.
The communique expressed support for the efforts of Ohanaeze Ndigbo toward championing the Igbo cause and averting the impending genocide against the race.
Meanwhile, a Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Igboho has raised concern over an alleged plot by the Army to attack ‘Biafra people’.
Igboho in a press statement by his spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, noted that any attack against Biafra should be considered an attack against the Yoruba.
He vowed to mobilise his followers in defence of the Eastern region against any such military operation.
“We would like to inform the Federal Government Of Nigeria that any attack on the South East is an attack on the Yorubas.
“Biafra people have been targeted by the Nigeria Army and any further attacks on them, we would have no other options than to support our brothers and sisters in Biafraland”, Ighoho vowed.
But when contacted, the Army Deputy Director of Information, 14 Brigade Ohafia, Captain Iliya Dauda, challenged the groups to produce evidence of the said shoot-on-sight order.
He advised people against public utterances based on rumours as such was capable of sparking an unnecessary crisis in the country.
This is even as the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Usman Baba has directed the police to crack down on and kill Biafra agitators in the zone.
Baba gave the directive on Tuesday in Enugu during the launch of a new security operation codenamed ‘Operation Restore Peace’ in the Southeast.
