The leading Igbo sociocultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has taken to Twitter to voice their displeasure at the threat that has been made against Ndigbo in Lagos and other Southern West states.
There are demands on social media, trending under the hashtag #IgboMustGo on X, for the forced migration of Igbo people from Lagos and other Southwest states, according to Anaedoonline.ng.
In response to the threat, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of Nigeria, stated that peace and security were in jeopardy in addition to being polarising.
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The national president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, issued a warning in a statement that was made available to Newsmen on Thursday night, saying that there would be severe repercussions for any attack on Ndigbo in any region of the nation.
In the declaration headlined “Enough is Enough,” Okwu promised that Ndigbo would respond appropriately if they were attacked anywhere in the nation.
He claimed that because the people of the South-East had been silent for so long, there had been unrelenting attacks on the Igbo people in other regions of the nation without cause.
“We want to unequivocally declare today that Ndigbo are not cowards; our forefathers were not cowards; they were brave and so are we.
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“We warn those fanning this embers of discord not to take the calmness of the lion for weakness; we are not afraid and shouldn’t be pushed to the wall by faceless miscreants.
“Any attack on Ndigbo by anybody will be visited with an unimaginable revenge. We are not second class citizens of this country. No one is more Nigerian than the Igbos.
“For decades now, Ndigbo have borne the brunt of every crisis in this country; they have paid the price for every upheaval in the country.
“This is one of the major reasons we decided not to be part of the hardship protest or whatever they called it. We knew that the moment we identify with it, they will term it Igbo protest.
“Yet, the same enemies of Ndigbo, the same people who are lurking for the blood of the Igbo people are unrelenting.
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“However, we want to sound this note of warning to them; ‘Enough is Enough’. Any attempt to spill the blood of an Igbo man or destroy their businesses and properties will be visited with equal retaliation.
“Those threats will be resisted; henceforth any attack on any Igbo man anywhere in those aforementioned areas must be revenged with every seriousness.
“We are one of the cardinal pillars of this country, so nobody should threaten the Igbo in this country any longer.
“We call on Ndigbo not to be afraid to reside anywhere of their choice in the country and do their businesses; they should not mind the useless threats by those who intend to set the country ablaze,” he said.
Security services have been ordered by the Ohanaeze Youth President to apprehend individuals who have made what he described as “genocidal threats against Ndigbo” right away.
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“Should the security agents fail to arrest the perpetrators and instigators of war in Nigeria, we will be left with no option than to believe that they are part of the plan.
“We are also calling on the Federal Government to speak up on this matter; this should not be swept under the carpet.
“The Nigerian Government should take quick measures to arrest those behind this genocidal plot.
“To restore the people’s confidence, the government should arrest and prosecute all the criminals making unguarded utterances on X, inciting Nigerians against each other,” Okwu stated.
Okwu re-echoed his call on Ndigbo not to participate in the ongoing protest, maintaining his earlier stand that President Bola Tinubu government was on the right track and should be given more time.
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“We reiterate our support for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government.
“Once again, we thank him for the South East Development Commission which was supposed to be in place since after the war to cater for the Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction mantra.
“We shall continue to advocate for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, additional states to be at par with other regions and correct imbalances on appointments in reflection of the federal character principles,” he further stated.
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