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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has debunked what it described as a dangerous and fabricated social media story falsely attributed to its President General, Senator Azuta Mbata, warning that the fake publication was designed to incite fear, violence and ethnic tension.
The National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, in a strongly worded rebuttal, distanced both the President General and Ohanaeze from the viral message, which was circulated under a sensational “Breaking” headline and falsely claimed that Mbata had issued an “urgent call to arms” to Igbo youths.
Ohanaeze said the fake story alleged that the President General warned that “every Igbo man from age 18 up must get a gun,” and urged people to “acquire weapons, foreign or locally made” because “a war is coming in days.”
Reacting to the development, Chukwu said: “Let it be stated clearly, categorically and without any equivocation that Senator Azuta Mbata, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide never made such infernal statements and never issued any satanic call to arms and never authorised any such demonic publication. This lethal narrative is a complete devilish fabrication and did not emanate from Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide or any of its recognised communication channels.”
He described the concocted story as “reckless, dangerous and criminal,” adding that it was deliberately crafted to incite fear, provoke violence and falsely portray Ndigbo as promoters of lawlessness.
Chukwu further defended the character and disposition of the Ohanaeze leader, saying: “Senator Azuta Mbata is a respected elder statesman, esteemed amiable leader of Igbo nation and committed nationalist, whose engagement for the welfare of Ndigbo has always been anchored on peaceful advocacy, constitutionalism, justice and fairness. He cannot by character, record or conviction, be associated with calls for violence, illegal arms acquisition or the breakdown of law and order.”
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Reaffirming the position of the organisation, he stated: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide remains a responsible socio-cultural organisation dedicated to dialogue, unity and peaceful coexistence within Nigeria. Neither the President General nor Ohanaeze can be a party to this unimaginable mischief, violent propaganda and deliberate falsehood to cause venomous destruction of the polity.”
Ohanaeze called on security agencies to urgently investigate the source of the fake message and bring those responsible to justice.
“We therefore call on the relevant security agencies to urgently trace, flush out and prosecute the author or authors of this toxic social media fabrication, as their actions pose a grave threat to public peace, national security and inter-ethnic harmony,” Chukwu said.
He also urged members of the public to disregard the viral message.
“Members of the public are hereby strongly advised to completely disregard this fake story. It is a product from the pit of hell, crafted to deceive the unsuspecting and malign the leadership and corporate integrity of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. The purveyors of this lie are enemies of Ndigbo and enemies of Nigeria,” he added.
