June 08, (THEWILL) – The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned what it described as continued injustice and marginalisation of the Southeast by the Nigerian government, insisting that such treatment is no longer acceptable or tolerable.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abakaliki and signed by its Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze also announced that the Igbo nation would not participate in any protest scheduled for June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Isiguzoro said Igbos have consistently been used as scapegoats during national protests and would no longer endanger their lives and properties in movements that rarely serve their interests.
“The Igbo are resolute in their stance until all pressing concerns affecting the region are satisfactorily addressed—chief among them being the immediate release of all Igbo prisoners of conscience unjustly held in various detention facilities, including Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement said.
He added, “After thorough consultations with key stakeholders across the Igbo nation, we have reached a formal decision. The Igbo people will not participate in the planned June 12 Democracy Day protests. Furthermore, protests of any kind are prohibited across the seven Igbo-speaking states until our legitimate demands are met.”
Describing the position as a protective strategy rather than a retreat, the group warned that the Southeast’s prevailing security challenges made any form of protest unwise and dangerous.
According to the group, “Over the past 65 years, Igbos have consistently borne the brunt of violent reprisals during national unrest, often punished for circumstances beyond their control.
“Our people have suffered betrayal and treachery in movements where they played no leading role. This must not continue.”
Ohanaeze also decried what it called the Federal Government’s pattern of selective justice.
It cited the dismissal of charges against activist Omoyele Sowore and some northern protesters arrested during the August 1, 2024 hunger demonstrations, while Igbo detainees continue to languish in prison.
“This blatant disparity in the application of justice is both intolerable and unacceptable. There is an undeniable bias that further alienates our people,” the statement added.
The group alleged that unpatriotic political actors in Abuja, Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Lagos were exploiting national protests to destabilise President Bola Tinubu’s administration, while scapegoating the Igbos in the process.
“We will not allow Ndigbo to be unjustly vilified or used as pawns in the political chess game of destabilisation,” Isiguzoro declared.
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