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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has banned the conferment and use of the title, ‘Eze Ndigbo’ outside Igboland, warning that violators would face sanctions to be determined by traditional authorities.
Eze Ndigboecried continuous imprisonment of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, saying it is tantamount to jailing the entire Igbo.
The President-General of Ohanaeze, Chief John Azuta-Mbata, announced the decision yesterday during the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Imeobi/General Assembly meeting in Enugu.
The Igbo leader said the ban followed extensive consultations, including a joint meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze and the leadership of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers.
He stated that the group would formally communicate its position to state governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.
“The South-East is proscribing the award of the title of Eze Ndigbo outside Igboland.
“Anybody who is conferred with such a title outside Igboland is on his own. It is unknown to the Igbo people,” he said.
He stressed that the decision was final and binding, adding that any such title conferred outside the South-East would no longer be recognised by the Igbo nation.
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According to him, consultations were ongoing with the traditional rulers across Igboland to determine appropriate sanctions for defaulters.
Enforcement, he noted, would be carried out through community structures, including town unions and local leadership.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, called for strict sanctions to curb the crises generated by the installation of Eze Ndigbo in the diaspora.
She cited incidents in Ghana and South Africa, where such practices triggered tensions, sometimes leading to threats against the lives and property of Nigerians abroad.
She warned that flamboyant displays of self-styled kingship in foreign countries often provoke hostility and undermine the goodwill built by law-abiding Nigerians in host communities.
She described the trend as a cultural crisis threatening identity, cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
She commended Ohanaeze for taking decisive action, noting that the ban would help restore order and foster respect for host communities’ traditions and institutions.
Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers, Emmanuel Okeke, said the actions of some individuals had portrayed the Igbo as troublesome in foreign lands.
“The Igbo should stop using money to cause trouble in the name of Eze Ndigbo in the states and countries they reside,” he said, pledging the council’s support in addressing the trend.
