The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has condemned the killing of three Igbo persons recently at Ladipo Market in Lagos, describing the incident as “barbaric, cowardly and brutish” and called on the relevant authorities to fish out the culprits and bring them to book.
Ohanaeze had in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, and made available to journalists, stated that as a report of the reported killing of 3 persons at Ladipo Market in Lagos broke, it had undertaken interviews of several persons to ascertain the accurate circumstance that led to the death of three Igbo traders by the Nigerian Military on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at the Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre, in the Paramo area of Ladipo Market, Lagos State.
Ohanaeze disclosed that the most auspicious account stated that “What happened was that a military man came with his orderly in the morning to change a spare part that he bought from a trader in the market since last week. He came to change it because it did not work, but the military man did not wear his uniform when he came into the market. When he was leaving, the union boys at the entrance of the gate told him to pay N200 for the gate pass. But because he refused to pay, it turned into a fight and the boys beat the military man and his orderly. So, he went back to his base, returned with three other boys and everywhere scattered as they started shooting”.
Ohanaeze revealed that the NAF’s Director of Information and Public Relations (DOPRI), Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet told The Nation newspaper that “the service’s personnel attached to the Operation (OPs) MESA were in the market in response to a distress call. He said a call was put across by traders on a fight going on between a soldier of the Nigerian Army (NA) and a civilian debtor. Gabkwet said upon the receipt of the call, the team moved to the market but was attacked by angry traders who pelted stones at them.”
In his own remarks, the Spokesman for Nigerian Army’s 81 Division, Major Olaniyi Osoba reportedly said “the matter was being investigated, assuring the army would unravel what actually happened”.
Ohanaeze surmised that “From the foregoing few things are discernible. 1. The military officer entered the market without a military uniform but wanted to display a military bravado to the civilians. 2. The union boys were carrying out their normal civic duties characteristic of most markets and parking lots in Nigeria. 3. The military officer knew the market operatives were Igbos. 4. The military officer felt humiliated and invited his boys for a brutal reprisal. 5. Commodore Gabkwet admitted that they mobilised to site because there “was a fight between a soldier and a civilian” 6. The killing of the Igbo traders was premeditated”.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, therefore, condemned the incident “as most cruel, brutish, barbaric, cowardly and premeditated. This incident is unacceptable to the Igbo. Let it be known that this is the last straw that will break the camel’s back. This will surely serve as a lesson to anybody, military or civilian that trifles with the Igbo blood,” Ohanaeze warned.
“The Igbo have paid the supreme prize with fortitude and equanimity, in various circumstances even beyond the degrees of their daily activities. Most of the time, the culprits or perpetrators are not identified; but in this case, the timid military officer that mobilized his boys for a massacre is known. This is the end of the road for the blood-thirsty officer that knows little or nothing about military professionalism and acceptable rules of engagement with the civilia”, the group charged.
“It is very strange that the cruel bloodthirsty group among the soldiers have left the members of the Boko Haram, bandits, abductors and kidnappers to brutalize the very civilians they are paid to defend and protect”, the Igbo group lamented.
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo call on the Okaiwu Lagos, Igbo Lagos, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos and indeed all the Igbo associations and activists in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to leave no stone unturned in pursuing this matter to its logical conclusion; bearing in mind that the killing of three Igbo traders is a dot in an Igbo circle.”
While sympathizing with “one of the decent detribalized governors in Nigeria, His Excellency Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, we call on the legendary distinctive leader to use this awful incident to reshape the civilian-military relations in Lagos State”, even as they also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that “the bad eggs in the Nigerian military are isolated and adequately punished as a deterrence to others.
