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| The Igbo Youth Leaders |
Uchenna Johnson
Awka
Leaders of various Igbo youth groups and organizations,
under the aegis of Igbo youth leaders and stakeholders, have expressed concerns
that the silent war against Ndigbo may not have ended, given the continued
exclusion of the region from national largesse and friendly dispositions of the
Federal Government.
The group expressed the concern after their emergency
meeting in Awka, Anambra State Capital on Thursday, on the state of affairs in
the Southeast and the handling of the case of the leader of the Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Rights activist, Omoyele Sowore has been mobilising for a protest scheduled for 20th October, 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to demand the release of the IPOB, leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
Addressing a World Press Conference in Awka, the Igbo Youth
leaders and stakeholders expressed their solidarity and support for the
conveners of the planned October 20 peaceful protest o demand the release of
Kanu, noting that they have been making the call for Kanu’s release for a long
time now.
They called on Ndigbo, home and abroad, to ensure absolute
proper conduct of themselves so as not to fall victim of any unforeseen
circumstances, insisting that Mazi Kanu will not want any innocent blood to be
shed on his behalf.
The acting National Youth Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi
Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, who spoke on behalf of the Igbo youth leaders, said
they see the development as a National action against injustice, calling on
other ethnic regions and all lovers of justice, to join the demand for Kanu’s
unconditional release.
Commending the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the
Governors of Igbo Extraction and other notable leaders and stakeholders, both
dead and alive, for their commitment to the relative peace in south east,
through their several calls for the release of Kanu, the Igbo youths urged them
to sit up and do more on the matter, by putting more pressure on the Federal
Government to take the needful action.
“With the establishment of the South East Development
Commission, SEDC, we thought that the civil war is over, but with recent
realities, we are convinced that the cold war is still on, ranging from social
and economic sabotage, outright exclusion of Ndigbo from National privileges
and benefits.
“We call on the Federal Government to extend its recent good
disposition to Ndigbo by granting amnesty to the agitators and releasing Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu. This is in view of the fact that the Federal Government has not
been able to convict him of the charges against him. We advocate for Kanu's
release as a political solution to the numerous security challenges in Ala
Igbo,” Okpalaezeukwu said.
On his part, the National Vice President of the National
Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Ambassador Innocent Nduanya emphasized that the World
Press Conference became imperative to remind Igbos, especially the youths, of
the need to be conscious and not allow themselves to be used to perpetrate any
act that may cause chaos or violence.
“What we are saying is that people should participate but
not constitute nuisance during the protest. If you are sitting at home, do so
in peace.
“A lot has been said about observing sit-at-home on that
day, and we believe Igbos are now more wiser,” he added.
Also speaking, a former Senate President, National
Association of Nigeria Students, NANS, Mazi Chuks Okafor said the unconditional
release of Kanu from detention holds the key to sustainable peace in the
Southeast, calling on President Bola Tinubu to listen to the cries of the
people and do the needful.
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