By Favour Goodness
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide-Youth Wing has decried what it described as malicious campaign of wickedness and national sabotage targeted at discrediting well-received and patriotic advocacy for the unconditional release of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
A statement signed by the group’s Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Chibuzor Udekigbo said the advocacy for Kanu’s release remained in the best interest of unity, peace and progress of Nigeria.
It said anyone trying to discourage the efforts should be counted as enemy of Nigeria’s survival as a united, equitable and progressive nation.
The statement reads, “Over the last few days, some crisis merchants parading as Northern youths have embarked on a malicious campaign of wickedness and national sabotage with an aim to discrediting the well-received and patriotic advocacy by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide-Youth Wing under the acting leadership of Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, which has mobilized enormous support from across all spheres of opinion and orientation for the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“We wish to make it clear that the advocacy for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release is in the best interest of unity, peace and progress of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and anyone trying to discourage these efforts should rather be counted as an enemy of Nigeria’s survival as a united, equitable and progressive nation.
“Across history, nations had and continues to adopt political methods in resolving issues of this nature and records show that these political methods have guaranteed more sustainable peace, unity and healing than force or punishment.
“The Nigerian Federal Government prides itself in investing multiple billions of Dollars in its efforts at rehabilitating terrorists in the Northeast and other parts of Nigeria. As at the last count, about 16,000 Boko Haram terrorists are being “rehabilitated” with billions of Naira of Nigeria’s commonwealth while their Comrades continue to wreck havoc across Nigeria; shooting down military aircrafts, abducting thousands of our young girls and boys and disrupting academic activities across the North.
“Thousands of these “repentant” terrorists have also been integrated into the Nigerian Armed Forces, in line with the current administration’s carrot and stick approach to combating violent crises in the nation.
“If is our informed belief that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, while he might, out of righteous indignation and frustrations over the mindless injustice and marginalization institutionalized against Ndigbo in present day Nigeria, might have made inciting statements, but there is no evidence anywhere that he has killed even a rat anywhere in Nigeria, hence, our conviction that he should be unconditionally released while genuine efforts are made by the Federal Government to address the issues that propelled his agitation.
“The IPOB has severally disowned the elements terrorizing different parts of the Southeast and has been consistent in repudiating acts of violence perpetrated by some criminals. We expect the Federal Government through the Armed Forces to carry out due diligence and apprehend those behind these mindless killings and destruction of the Southeast, rather, we have heard cases of arbitrary arrests and molestation of innocent civilians by security agents in the Southeast.
“Our call is therefore for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and those who are being held in different cells across the country, without any credible evidence of involvement in the criminal destruction and killings that have taken place in the Southeast in recent times.
“We trust that our Arewa brothers and indeed, every Nigerian of goodwill who wants the progress and unity of this nation shall support this advocacy, wholeheartedly.”
