Council of Elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to bring to justice all those who played remote and immediate roles in the killing and maiming of Igbo people and the destruction of their belongings in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria.
Condemning the alleged profiling and targeting of Igbo people in Lagos and other places in Nigeria for attacks, the Council reminded Nigerians and authorities that the current events in Lagos were similar to the incidents that triggered the 30 months of civil war that claimed the lives of millions of Nigerians.
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The Elders in a communique issued at the end of its emergency virtual meeting held on Wednesday, with members from Nigeria, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Italy and other parts of the world, directed Ohanaeze Ndigbo to set up a Committee of Enquiry to carry out a full investigation into the killings and destruction of properties and assets of Ndigbos in Lagos.
The Council which unequivocally stated that Igbo people are not at war with the Yoruba people or any other ethnic nationality in Nigeria said the terms of reference of the report of enquiry must indicate: “Number of Igbos killed, Number of Igbos injured and hospitalised, Number of Igbos permanently incapacitated and Comprehensive report of Igbo assets and properties destroyed including the burning of market.”
The communique made available to journalists in Enugu on Thursday, was signed by the Chairman, Council of Elders Nigeria, Chief Emmanuel C. Iwuanyanwu; Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Okey Emuchay; Chief Simon N. Okeke, Nigeria; Elder Adolphus Umunnakwe Agbasonu, Europe; Mazi Ignatius Muotoh, Europe; Prof. Godfrey Ajoku, USA; Chief Kingsley Obaji, USA and National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Alex Ogbonnia.
According to the resolution, the emergency Council meeting was convened to review the painful and agonising experiences of Igbo people in Lagos during the recent general elections.
The Council observed that during the elections, innocent Igbo people resident in Lagos who came out as patriotic Nigerians to cast their votes were assaulted, brutalised and some were reportedly killed in the process by some miscreants and thugs recruited by some desperate politicians.
These unpatriotic Nigerians destroyed properties belonging to the Igbo, for example, a whole market was burnt. Information available to us reveals that they are still threatening the lives of Igbo and their properties in Lagos State.
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It stated:
The Elders at this meeting critically reviewed the Igbo experiences in Nigeria and unanimously agreed that Igbos since the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 have remained committed towards peace, progress and economic development of Nigeria. The Igbo at various times demonstrated this commitment by the activities of some of their sons and daughters.
The Elders recalled with sadness and deep regret, the events of 1966 that led to the Nigerian civil war. The civil war destroyed many Igbo lives and properties. Indeed, Ndigbo at the end of the civil war in January 1970 were impoverished and brutalised physically and materially. The Elders drew similarity between the current events in Lagos to those that led to the civil war.
In the recent events, the Igbo were attacked during the Lagos governorship election for voting for political parties of their choice in an election which featured only Yoruba candidates. All the candidates for the election in Lagos State were Lagosian or Yorubas. It is therefore strange, unjust and inconceivable to profile the Igbo and their assets for destruction because they exercised their franchise in favour of the Yoruba candidates.
It was observed that any Igbo man who attempted to defend himself was branded a thug, arrested and detained while the assailants who manifested and exemplified thuggery were freed.
While advising Igbo people living in Lagos to remain calm and go about their normal business, the Council called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to use his office as the Chief Security Officer of the state to protect Igbo lives and properties and ensure that the Igbo who are maliciously detained in various police stations are released immediately.
We have been in touch with some Leaders of Lagos State and we are convinced that there is no state of war or crisis between the Igbo in Lagos and Lagosians or Yorubas, rather it is the handiwork of a few desperate politicians and miscreants.
It added,
We also intend to point out to the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Governor of Lagos State that, just as the votes cast for the Labour Party in Lagos State could not have been from the Igbo community alone, there are numerous Igbos in Lagos State who are not only staunch members of the APC, but vehemently supported and voted for the APC in all the elections.
Part of the resolution reads:
The Elders, therefore, resolved to take the following actions:
To formally petition the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces President Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR in order to express our sadness and disappointment over this unfortunate development. We also intend to send protest letter to the National Assembly and other relevant agencies to express our feelings.
High powered Igbo delegation will be sent to Lagos to meet with some Leaders of Lagos State in order to establish a lasting cordial and peaceful relationship between the Igbo and the Yoruba in Lagos.
