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The Federal Government has been advised to concentrate its efforts on proving the allegations against the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in court, instead of adopting the media trial and propaganda approach to incite Nigerians and the international community against Ndigbo.
Members of Igbo Community Leaders Network, ICON, gave the advised in a 10-page communiqué they issued weekend, after their meeting in Owerri, and signed by the South-East Regional Coordinator and Secretary, Survival Nwachinaemere and Chief Chukwubuikem Udokanma, respectively.
The group was particularly irked by the allegation credited to the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami(SAN), that IPOB killed Dr. Chike Akunyili and 175 security agents.
Their words: “We note that he (Malami) is already prosecuting this matter in court and we wonder why the media trial and conviction is being adopted by the Attorney General, instead of concentrating on the legal trial and conviction.
“The Federal Government is aware that the unknown gunmen, perpetrating these criminal atrocities in the South-East, killing prominent Igbo people and destroying police and INEC infrastructures, are the state-sponsored fifth columnists and herdsmen.
“They are acting under the protection of the Nigerian security agencies.
“They are already at work in Anambra State, planning to frustrate the forthcoming governorship election, so as to blame it on Nnamdi Kanu.
“The false allegations point to the fact that the Federal Government is merely attempting and struggling to manufacture evidence to portray Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB, and by extension, all Igbo as terrorists, in order to have a justification to carry out an already planned military attack against Ndigbo.”
The group demanded that the Federal Government investigate, articulate and publish the number of persons killed and villages sacked by bandits and herdsmen activities in various parts of Nigeria, from 2015 to date, as well as the list of persons charged to court, as a result of these criminal activities.
ICON also sought to know “the bandits and/or unknown gunmen arrested and are being prosecuted in court, for the attack on Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, Kaduna, which led to the killing of military officers, including an officer of Igbo extraction;
“The attack on military establishments in Niger State and the attack on the Correctional Centre in Oyo State, among others.”
The group then reminded government that by empirical evidence, investment and development patterns, most Nigerians will agree that Ndigbo are the most hospitable and detribalized people in Nigeria, who believe in true unity of the country, based on equity, justice and fair treatment for all.
The group said: “But whenever an Igbo man is unfairly, unjustly and inequitably treated in the Nigerian project, it usually reminds him of the Biafran struggle.
“We are equally aware that President Muhammadu Buhari’s present military leadership approach in a democratic Nigeria, is gradually leading to a collapse, without him knowing it.”
