Military deployment to South East may break Nigeria, Ohanaeze faction warns

Backs ESN, Ebube-agu to secure region

Folowing security challenges in the country, a faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resist any temptation of deploying the military to the South East.

It warned that such might lead to unending guerrilla activities or another avoidable war.

In a statement in Abakaliki at the weekend, the Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, condemned the plan, noting that Ndigbo had implicit confidence in Ebube-agu security network put in place by South East Governors’ Forum (SEGF) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) to defend the region.

He said the military should focus on the northern part of the country, where terrorists were having field day since South East had remained the country’s safest zone for foreign and local investments.

Ndigbo, according to Isiguzoro, are emergency experts and any infiltration in the process of Igbo defensive mechanism may spell doom for Nigeria.

The statement read in parts: “Ndigbo doesn’t need military assistance now, except there are high-level manipulations to destabilise and destroy our region for political purposes and deny them the presidency in 2023.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide had warned about the dangers of any military deployment to South East, insisting that the consequences of such impulsivity might lead to Nigeria’s break up.”

“Few weeks after the United Kingdom warned of an exodus of northern bandits towards the south, especially in the peaceful South East and South-South for political reasons, there were serial attacks and violence in our zone by unknown gunmen,” the group noted.