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By Chukwudi Nweje
An Igbo group, The Igbo Conscience (TIC), yesterday, sent an urgent appeal to the Federal Government, asking it to declare a state of emergency in the South East geopolitical zone in order “to save the South East from self-inflicted ruination.”
It condemned the brutal killing of Dr. Chike Akunyili, the husband of the late Chairman of the National Agency for Foods and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Dora Akunyili in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State on Tuesday.
In a press conference with the theme ‘Before South East Goes to Extinction’ addressed by Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, in Lagos, the group accused governors and religious leaders in the zone of fuelling the insecurity and noted that no serious government can afford to sit and watch the carnage going on in the South East to continue.
It said, “The Federal Government should consider the option of declaring a state of emergency in the South East or at least some states of the South East to arrest this dangerous state of anarchy. That the Federal Government should draft more security forces and agencies to the South East to save the people from themselves. The Federal Government should identify, arrest, prosecute any person, group, interest and organisation found to actively procure, support and facilitate the state of anarchy presently riddling the South East. The Federal Government must do all within its power to tame the conflagration in the South East so as to save Igbos from self-inflicted ruination.”
It said the murder of Dr. Akunyili is not an isolated case as people who refuse to identify with IPOB are routinely branded as saboteurs and marked out for attack.
He further said, “Today, the South East is under a murderous and detractive siege launched by its people in the name of actualising Biafra. As of today, Igbos are being gruesomely murdered in their numbers, businesses and human activities are equally under siege and fear and ennui is sowed all over Igboland for reasons best known to the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Most of the governors in the South East have waxed impotent in rising to the challenge of dealing with this deadly monster. In their helplessness, Igbos are being killed in their numbers each day and wanton bloodletting and atrocious destruction of businesses and means of livelihood have become the order of the day in Igboland today. Curiously, religious leaders who should weigh in are active participants in the atrocity that has overwhelmed Igboland today.”
Igbokwe said though the injustices against the South East is undeniable, that IPOB is going about the demand to redress the situation the wrong way.
He added, “There is no doubt that there are injustices against the South East, but IPOB is going about it the wrong way. We are not going to use our people as sacrificial lambs to achieve what we are demanding.”
Also speaking, another member of the group, Peter Claver Oparah lashed out at civil society organisations, who he said are silent on the carnage going on daily in the south East but will be quick to allege human rights violations if the government sends security to restore peace.
He said IPOB cannot completely absolve itself from the deteriorating insecurity in the South East as it has made several threats in the past which somehow came to fruition.
“We are not saying that IPOB is responsible for all the violence in the South East, but IPOB threatened to get rid of security agencies in the zone and shortly after people started attacking security personnel and burning police stations,” he said.
He challenged IPOB to unmask the unknown gunmen in the South East if indeed they are fighting for the people.
