Magnus Eze, Enugu and David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
A prominent Igbo socio-cultural group, Igbo Bu Igbo (IBI) has said that the recent threat by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to monitor and attack governors and leaders of the South East anywhere they sight them abroad, was recipe for disaster.
Reacting to the recent attack on the immediate past Deputy Senate President and governor of Imo State, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, by members of IPOB in Nuremberg, Germany, the group said such dastardly act must be nipped in the bud at this period before it was extended to ordinary people.
The group also described the attack on Ekweremadu as “a callous act of ingratitude” considering that Ekweremadu was the same person who rallied other leaders to save Nnamdi Kanu from languishing in jail, saying that, “In Igboland, the hen does not raise its beak against the one who gave it shelter during the rainfall!”
A statement by IBI’s Chancellor, Dr Law Mefor and Secretary General, Chidi Omeje, lamented that the unfortunate, unprovoked and crass attack on the senator had created the wrong notion that the Igbo cannot conduct themselves in decent manners.
“We reject such a notion as that is not who we are. No matter what the grievances of these misguided IPOB members could be against Senator Ike Ekweremadu, resorting to bestial tendencies to settle scores is not part of our culture. We cannot applaud barbarity under whatever guise. What is condemnable is condemnable and we condemn that mob action in Germany in the strongest terms possible. With the threats subsequently issued against Igbo leaders across board by IPOB, they are creating a recipe for disaster.
“Ndigbo must not fall for the antics of misguided leaders and members of the group to turn us against one another. We must stand firm in our resolve to pursue the growth and development of Igbo land without dragging it into a state of rancour, chaos, anarchy and doom,” IBI stated.
Notwithstanding the barrage of condemnations, shortly after, IPOB has come up with more reasons to justify its action.
In a statement issued by the Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful with the title: “Setting the record straight on the active role Ike Ekweremadu, Nnia Nwodo, Governors Dave Umahi, Willie Obiano, Okezie Ikpeazu, Rochas Okorocha and Ifeanyi Igwuanyi played in the plot to assassinate me and kill our dream of freedom through their Operation Python Dance (Part I),” Kanu insisted that the action had no blemish.