[Boko Haram]...We can no longer guarantee peace in the East – Ohanaeze

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The pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation,  Ohanaeze Ndigbo,  has said that it can no longer guarantee peace in the East in the face of the  continued killing  of the Igbo in some states in the North.

The group  said that stopping its youths from carrying out reprisal  over the years, even in the face of extreme anger, had  been an onerous job.

It added that it was not sure if it would continue to restrain them from doing so, especially in the South-East.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in a
statement by its Secretary General, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu,   said this on Wednesday while reacting to last Monday’s bombings in Kano State in which  many Igbo   were killed.

But just as the statement was made available to journalists,  Jama’atu Nasril Islam, a group led by Sultan  Muhammad Sa’ad  Abubakar 111, called on the Federal Government to urgently  track down and  bring those behind the series of bombings and killings in the country to book.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, however,  still appealed to its youth wing  to maintain the peace while awaiting  President Goodluck Jonathan’s reaction to the latest “dastardly” act. It advised  that in the future, “ Islamists fundamentalist  murderers must be tackled with the same ruthlessness with which they destroy lives.”

Its statement   reads, “We roundly condemn the sponsors and perpetrators of the continued cold blooded murder of fellow Nigerians. The Igbo nation is taking the heaviest toll on the casualty list and Ndigbo are grossly pained by this organised pogrom on her people.

“Ndigbo cannot continue to bear this unnecessary and unprovoked loss of  their  blood. Patriotism is just not enough. Keeping our restive youths calm has been an onerous job and only God has helped thus far. We can no longer guarantee the civil response of our people in a country that has become one huge slaughter house.

“The Federal Government must convince the people, especially Ndigbo, that they are safe in Nigeria. Meanwhile, Ohanaeze state chapters are to compile the names of all those affected in the bomb blasts.

“Let’s act fast. However, as a reminder, no tribe is essentially completely made up of cowards and Ndigbo are certainly no cowards.

“Need we remind these murderers that no ethnic group has the monopoly of violence? A final position will be taken in due course after due consultation with Igbo leadership.”

The  National Organising Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths, Mr. Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said that Ohanaeze youths would no longer keep quiet if the killings continued.

“For now, we will not do anything because we have chosen to listen to the advice of our leaders who have asked us to be quiet and calm. But if it happens again, or something similar to that occurs again in any northern state, advice or no advice, we would be forced to retaliate,” Isiguzoro said.

Culled-Punch

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