Igbo Leaders Do Not Have Power To Reject Secession Agitation By Igbo Youths - OYC

This is following a security meeting between the Southeast governors, Igbo elders and some delegates from the presidency, in Enugu on Friday, June 11, 2021.

The meeting ended in loggerhead as the Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC), rejected some decisions of the meeting, pointing out that the Igbo Elders were not appointed to speak for the youths.

Speaking to newsmen in Enugu on Monday, June 14, the National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka said;

According to a press statement signed by Chukwuemeka Chimerue, Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to OYC National President, the meeting was attended by the Minister for Defense, Major General Bashir Magashi(rtd.), Minister for Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Service Chiefs, Governors of the five South-Eastern states, religious, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders of Igbo extraction.

The National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka who spoke to newsmen in Enugu on Monday, June 14 said; 'it was rather unfortunate that Magashi, could define the slaughtering of Igbos by killer Fulani herdsmen as a mere clash cum conflict, adding that "he could have made his statement by choosing the real phrase rather than describing the deliberate killings of over 500 Igbos in Enugu, Ebonyi, Delta, Anambra, Imo and Abia since 2015 as a mere conflict.ÔÇØ

Igboayaka said;

"As the so-called meeting ended on Friday 11th June 2021, on Saturday 12th June which was the next day, killer Fulani herdsmen invaded the compound of one Elder Innocent Ameh, the eldest man in Umu Oyijeregwu clan, Ohom Unadu at around 8pm, and was seriously butchered with 6 other persons.

"The attack took place at his Umu Oyijeregwu residence, Unadu in Igboeze-South LGA, Enugu State. Unadu shares boundaries with Alor Agu, Umuonu Enugu Ezike, Itchi, all in Enugu State and also Akpanya in Kogi State where the Fulani herders are in their large numbers.

"The invaded aforementioned community in Igboeze-South LGA of the state recorded 8 injured persons while other people within the locality ran for their safety.ÔÇØ

He alleged that the Federal Government has no plan to stop killer herdsmen from their activities on Igbo land.

Igboayaka further said;

"Like Gov. Umahi stated, 'Those who dish out hate speeches from our region, threat of violence or secession do not speak for South-East. I repeat, we the South-East people are not for secession, we don't support it; we don't call for it'.

"The insecurity challenges in the Southeast shouldn't be an elites' project otherwise it may increase to large proportions, as the gap between the Igbo youths and elders increases, crimes and insecurity also increases in Igbo land. The Southeast governors must climb down from their elite mentality of approaching the huge security challenges confronting us in Igbo land, or stay in a state of confusion while insecurity increases in Igbo land.

"Also, according to Gov. Umahi, 'We are committed to one united Nigeria; we have always mentioned this; all our leaders are committed to this and that is why we read it everywhere, a united Nigeria of fairness, equity and equality of freedom and this we have further expressed.'

"One united Nigeria is not in the hands of the South-East governors to affirm, but what's in their hands is to deliver dividends of good governance, infrastructure, security, job creation and render accountability to Ndigbo.ÔÇØ

The OYC recalled that similar meeting was held around February 2020 without any positive outcome or implementation of any item agreed in the meeting which was published saying: "We hereby call upon the Southeast governors to publish or outline any item(project) that was executed after their meeting with service chiefs in 2020 within 72 hours.