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From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has vondemned the alleged shoot at sight order given to Nigerian Soldiers on how they will engage Igbo Youths henceforth,describing it as another pogrom and genocide against Ndigbo. The organization cautioned the federal government to refrain from use of force in resolving the present national crises.
A press statement signed by the national publicity secretary of the organization, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, made available to news men stated that the orderr was reported by an online media plstform,’The Sahara Reporters’ of May 8.
He quoted the outfit to have reported that the exercise wi commence from Orlu,Imo state,South East Nigeria, in the coming week.The Ohanaeze spokes man asserted that the pattern of deployment of Northern Muslim military officers to the South East zone lends credence to the report.
Chief Ogbonnia stated ,” Sahara Reporters revealed that in preparation for the above, the Nigerian army has posted Northern Muslims as commanders over its operations and brigades in Anambra, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Benue, Edo, Delta and Rivers. In Anambra State, the Cantonment Commandant of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, is Col Abdulsalam Abubakar Sambo, a Hausa-Fulani Muslim; while in Imo State, the Brigade Commander of 34 Brigade, Obinze, is Brig Gen Ibrahim Tukura, another northerner; in Abia State, the Brigade Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, is Brig Gen M. Ibrahim, still, a northerner; while in Akwa Ibom State, the Brigade Commander of 2 Brigade, Uyo, is Brig Gen Faruk Mijinyawa, another northerner. This is truly worrisome!
The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide,”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo cautioned the federal government to “learn a lesson from history by not fighting an unwinnable war against nationalism but seek possible peaceful options that are the only solution that guarantees national unity and peaceful coexistence”
,The organization lamented “That subnational consciousness or ethnocentric nationalism which is a dangerous form of nationalism to national unity has taken over Nigeria”. And that “the dream of Nigeria unity is receding and fading fast with violence, crises and conflicts”
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is unequivocal that the current problems confronting Nigerian, eg ethnic militia, agitation for secession, insurgency, etc are a product of sustained orchestrated injustice in governance”
The organization said for instance, Senator Shehu Sani, the former senator for Kaduna central, vehemently decried that the Igbo have been systematically marginalised since the civil war.
Speaking in Kaduna at a meeting organised by the Association of Eze-Ndigbo in the Diaspora on Saturday, May 8, 2021, Sani described the marginalisation as a “collective punishment”.
“There has been a systemic exclusion and marginalisation of your people, stemming from the historical Biafra war. This is a collective punishment”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo warns that Shoot at Sight Order to soldiers on Igbo youth is a call for another pogrom and genocide. Ohanaeze asks the federal government to refrain from the use of force in resolving the present national crises.
“History shows that military and violent means to solve the national question is bound to fail as it leads to further national fractionalization, anarchy and eventual or inevitable disintegration, as in all Empires or multi-national states or countries”.
