Ohanaeze Ndigbo demand release of Radio Biafra director

APEX Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on the Federal Government to arrest the current Biafra agitations from deteriorating, stressing that the release of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, would defuse the protests.

But representatives of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) shunned the Imeobi meeting over what they described as the “silence of Ohanaeze leadership on Nnamdi Kanu’s detention and worldwide Biafra demonstrations and protests more than a month now.

A statement by MASSOB’s Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, added that “some prominent Ohanaeze chieftains have openly and disgracefully condemned and disowned us,” and demanded a retraction of their earlier position.

Rising from her expanded Imeobi meeting held at its secretariat in Enugu yesterday however, Ohanaeze, which expressed concern by current widespread and public Biafra agitations, also recommended that treating Kanu’s case, which has been the focal point of the public
protests, as more political than a security matter would further assuage the protesters.

Meeting formerly for the first time since the Biafra agitations began, Ohanaeze in a seven-point communiqué released after their meeting, stated that the agitations and protests had become exacerbated by the continued detention of Kanu, fearing that the development may threaten the security and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians wherever they may be domiciled.

The communiqué signed by its President-General, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey and Secretary General, Dr Joe Nworgu, further warned:

“The Imeobi Ohanaeze strongly deprecates any attempt to drag the current grave situation and public expression of Ndigbo over their
exclusion from the Nigerian nation into the realm of partisan politics and warns all those who may be so inclined that they shall bear the full consequences of their actions.

“The Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndigbo notes that Ndigbo are nation-builders who are found in all parts of Nigeria and cautions that all actions and
activities which threaten the security and harmonious co-existence of all Nigerians whatever they may be domiciled is dangerous and must not be encouraged. In particular, the Imeobi believes that current public protests, howbeit peaceful, is disruptive of the market economy of the South-East zone and strongly recommends that they be discontinued immediately in favour of dialogue and constructive engagement in the resolution of the underlying issues.

“The Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, anxious that dialogue shall replace public protests, further recommends the immediate creation of  an adhoc national platform that shall address immediate causes that have triggered the present public protests, and revisit and redress latent and long-standing issues  that have continued to threaten the evolution of Nigeria into a modern and united nation where all
constituent parts have an equal sense of belonging.”

As a way of solving the socio-economic problems bedeviling parts of the country, especially the South-East and South-South youths, Ohanaeze called on governors of the two regions to create massive employment opportunities for the youths to ameliorate the restive situation.

It renewed her stand on the 2014 National Conference document for any discourse in the country, just as it appreciated those calling for caution in handling the issue of Biafra agitators.