The Council of the Igbo elders have accused security agencies and the Federal Government of Nigeria of indiscriminately killing Igbo youths in the South-East.
According to them, it’s done in the guise of fighting members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB ,and its security network, Eastern Security Network.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, June 11, the chairman of the group and a former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, alleged that dozens of young people, mostly male, are being extrajudicially executed on a daily basis by security operatives in the region.
“We condemn without any reservation the destruction of public properties in the South-East, because it is not in our character to indulge in arson, brigandage.
We believe however that it is not fair and just to use a sledge hammer to kill harmless flies.
Security agencies now indiscriminately invade private homes at odd hours, in the same guise of fishing out presumed IPOB and ESN members.
They arrest men and sometimes shoot innocent and hapless youths.
We therefore call on President Muhamamdu Buhari, the United Nations, the European Union, African Union, ECOWAS, to take urgent and necessary action to stop the current genocide against the Igbos in the South-East and parts of the South-South.” Ezeife said
Reacting to this statement, One Segun Adegoke took to social media and wrote, “The Igbo leaders should dialogue with the President and the Military. Then the Military should leave the South East. The South East is not a war zone”
Another social media user, Steve Mike wrote, “They killed someone I know yesterday in his home in owerri😢😢 his not IPOB his not ESN they just shoot him because they saw Biafra calendar in his House😢😢 Why??😪😪😪😪😪”
Another who apears to be an Igbo man wrote, “We need Freedom! We are not Nigerians!! And we’re not One Nigeria!”
“Tell them ooo…our Fulani president..in his opening speech on assumption of office, he said he was for nobody but everybody..but we know better now” Another user wrote