Members of Ogbakor Ikwerre, USA/Canada (OIUSA), Inc., a socio-cultural organization of Iwhuruohna indigenes in the United States of America and Canada, have strongly rebuked the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for calling on members of the public to murder the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Members of the organization rose from their North America continent-wide meeting at the weekend and chastised Kanu for making a statement that is not only “unguarded,” but “dangerous, inciting and provocative.”
They advised Kanu to cease and desist from making inciting statements in the future.
In a press statement made available to the media, the President of the organization, Mr. Eric Worlu Welle, rebuked the leader of IPOB for making such “a foul and dangerous utterance,” adding that, “it is capable of producing imminent lawlessness, bitterness and ethnic recrimination”, especially at a time Nigeria needs to heal from the deaths that occurred during the #EndSARS protests in the country.
“How dangerous can anyone who puts a bounty on a sitting state governor be,” Welle asked.
According to Welle, members of OIUSA/Canada said that Governor Wike ought to have been congratulated for his timely intervention in the Oyigbo crisis that helped nip in the bud, a potential ethnic conflict between Hausa/Fulani on one hand and Igbo residents in Oyigbo on the other.
“If Governor Wike had not intervened timely in the Oyigbo crisis which was a fallout of the #EndSARS protest, it would have led to bloodletting between Hausa and Igbo communities in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state,” said members of OIUSA/Canada through their president, adding: “That could have also escalated and spread to parts of Northern and South Eastern states, potentially turning to a bloody inter-ethnic conflict.
“These types of unguarded provocative statements underpinned the roots of the 30-month fratricidal Civil War that claimed over a million lives of Nigerians, mostly Igbos.”
Members of OIUSA/Canada noted that the so-called IPOB, now dubbed a terrorist organization, should have applauded Governor Wike for showing effective leadership, and nipping a potential Hausa-Igbo conflict in the bud rather than calling for his murder.
The North America-based Iwhuruohna indigenes passionately called on the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, and traditional rulers in the Southeastern states, to call Kanu, their son, to order as well as immediately condemn in unequivocal terms, his placement of a bounty — an incentive and reward — for the murder of a sitting state governor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Diaspora Iwhuruohna group said: “We are also calling on the governors of the Southeastern States – Hons. Willie Obiano, Hope Uzodinma, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Dave Umahi – to collectively and individually come out and publicly denounce the infuriating and inflaming statement made by the leader of the outlawed IPOB.
“Bounty has never been placed on a sitting governor in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and no governor in the country would like a bounty to be placed on him or her,” OIUSA members said, adding: “Members of IPOB should not forget that most of their loved ones live and make their daily living in Port Harcourt, home of Iwhuruohna people.
“One begins to ask if IPOB indeed have the love of their people at heart. For its leader to call for the murder of the governor of Rivers State is like biting the finger that feeds you. Earlier this year, one Ralph Uwazurike injected himself into Rivers State matter, threatening the state governor, and now, Nnamdi Kanu is calling for the murder of the governor, and offering an incentive and reward for anyone who commits the crime. Enough is enough!”
The North America-based indigenes of River State also call on the Governor’s Forum of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to publicly denounce the dangerous statement made by the IPOB leader as he cannot continue to threaten the life of a sitting governor of a state and the existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from a foreign land where he seeks refuge.
OIUSA/Canada, Inc said it has alerted relevant international organizations and agencies about the IPOB leader’s threat to Governor Wike’s life.
It said it has notified the British High Commission in Nigeria, the United Nation Security Council, the American Embassy in Abuja and Lagos, the European Union Security Organization, the Nigerian Senate and Security organizations, the Inspector-General of Nigeria Police, the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria; National and international Media Houses; of the IPOB leader’s treacherous statement.
