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Ohanaeze vows to ensure court martial of soldiers killing Igbo people

By Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
11 April 2018   |   4:11 am
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has vowed that it would not rest until the Nigerian Army court marshals its officers involved in extra-judicial killings of Igbo youths during the Operation Python Dance last year.

President General of Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo (Jnr)

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has vowed that it would not rest until the Nigerian Army court marshals its officers involved in extra-judicial killings of Igbo youths during the Operation Python Dance last year.

It said soldiers massacred scores of youths were massacred in the Southeast during the exercise, stressing that the action was against the rules of engagement.

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, disclosed this in Enugu, during the “Night of Tributes” in honour of its former Secretary-General, Col Joe Achuzia (rtd), who died at the age of 90. The event put together by Ohanaeze Ndigbo and leadership of the Enugu Sports Club saw Igbo leaders pouring encomiums on the deceased Biafran warlord.

Nwodo stated that the leadership of the apex Igbo organisation, had since the end of the military exercise, followed with protests and correspondences to the Nigerian Army’s high command about the killings of innocent Igbo during the operation and would not relent until those involved were brought to book.

He said: “I had the opportunity to confront the Army over the Operation Python Dance and they assured me that they will court martial all soldiers who are identified who were involved in the extra-judicial killing of our children contrary to their rules of engagement.

“I have been following this matter with correspondence and I will continue to follow it until we know those who massacred our children without cause and ensure they are brought to book.”

Nwodo, who lamented that the authorities had shown less concern in the massacre of no fewer than 700 Igbo youths of Delta State extraction by federal troops during the war, stated that the act should not be allowed to continue in Igboland.

“I am happy that I led the national executive of Ohanaeze to Asaba last year when we remembered 700 of our people who were murdered by federal troops contrary to the rules of engagement, similar to what we experienced during Operation Python Dance,” he said

He added that Achuzia’s death was an opportunity for Ndigbo “to dramatise our brotherhood, our oneness in recognition of the tremendous carnage that befell our brothers in the cause of the war.”

Nwodo said Achuzia was an Igboman to the core, stressing that he did all in his power to represent Ndigbo at all times as well as relocating from Asaba to Enugu as Secretary General of the organisation.

Also speaking, former Military administrator of Imo State, Navy Commodore James Aneke, disclosed that Ndigbo had to fight the war to prove to other Nigerians that its people should not be taken for granted.

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