Stop calling us Igbo, Ikwerre warn Ohanaeze 

The Ikwerre people of Rivers State have rejected the position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo that Ikwerre are Igbo and have called on them to desist from propagating the falsehood.

This is just as they appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to call a former Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Uche Okwukwu, to order, for threatening to deal ruthlessly with the Ikwerre, if they continue to reject the Igbo tag.

President of Iwhnurohna Progressive Organisation (IPO), Dr. Okachikwu Dibia, at a press conference in Abuja, on Wednesday, while reiterating that Ikwerre is not Igbo, emphasised the need to desist from using features of cultural influences to determine who a person is, noting that verifiable piece of history and the innate character of a man speak for his ancestral affinity.

“Ikwerre history has been well-written and documented. Ikwerre is not Igbo. Ohanaeze should know that it is only a handful of Aro people, who were allowed to settle in Ikwerre, that can trace their origin to Igboland. Therefore, it is very wrong, preposterous and unacceptable for anyone to say that Ikwerre is Igbo. Henceforth, such offensive, insulting, abusive and insensitive hate-claim should not be uttered by Ohanaeze or any other group or individuals from any part of humanity. Iwhnurohna will not tolerate it anymore,” he said.

Continuing, Dibia said while the Ikwerre ethnic nationality strongly believes in one Nigeria; to realise this unity, it is important for the different composite ethnic groups to enjoy full self-determination.

The organisation called on Ohanaeze to maintain good neighbourliness instead of angling and making subtle desperate moves for unification for a political entity they will dominate and control.

Dibia pointed out that “Domination breeds suspicion, suspicion breeds lack of trust which in turn breeds agitation for freedom. Hence, it is very agonising to successfully build a nation or state based on domination.”

He called the attention of the IGP and all other national and international security agencies to the threat of extermination of the Ikwerre people by one Okwukwu, who he quoted to have said:
“Ikwerre land is the Igbo tongue to the sea and any attempt to excise it out of Igbo land will be resisted with the sword.”

He further called on Ohanaeze to recognise the need to change its antagonistic attitude towards Ikwerre and respect Ikwerre as a distinct ethnic nation, instead of insulting Ikwerre through claims that provoke and promote disaffection between the Ikwerre and Igbo people.