He said Igbos do not want to lose more of their kinsmen to the killings by Boko Haram.
During a telephone chat with The Nation, Uwazuruike said the incessant bombing of churches showed that security agencies cannot guarantee the safety of Nigerians living in the North.
The Ezeigbo chided the Joint Task Force for not tightening security around churches in Kaduna when it got intelligence reports about an imminent attack.
Urging Igbo to leave their businesses and come back home until the situation normalises, he said: “Dead persons are not conscious of their investments. It is only the living that can make money.
“Igbo in the North should move their investments back to the East where they can enjoy relative peace without living in fear and anxiety.”
Debunking rumours of reprisal plans in the Southeast, Uwazuruike said MASSOB is a non-violent organisation, which upholds the sanctity of life, and would never engage in the senseless killings and destruction that have become the hallmark of the Boko Haram sect.
His second-in-command, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, said the crisis in the North is fast degenerating into a religious war and security operatives can no longer guarantee the safety of Igbo in the North.
Ezeonwuka described the suicide bombers as religious fanatics, who had been hypnotised by the teachings of mischievous religious teachers.
The Ogirishi Igbo said: “It is obvious that the targets of the bombing are churches and Christian dominated parts of the North, so it is foolhardy for Igbo to remain there and be slaughtered like fowls on a daily basis. The wise thing to do in the face of the security situation is to leave the North.”
Ndigbo living in Kano have expressed their readiness to return home.
They said they have been living in fear since the Boko Haram insurgency began.
The President-General of Ndigbo in Kano, Chief Leonard Nwosu, said Igbo have become the major target of Boko Haram attacks in northern states.
He said: “The call for the evacuation of Igbo is sincere and precautionary, and we will abide by it. We stayed back in Kano because we thought the situation would improve, but it is getting worse by the day.”
Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in the Southeast Dr. Chike Obidigbo said the Boko Haram insurgency is not only claiming the lives of Igbo, but their businesses as well.
Decrying the inability of the Federal Government to tackle the crisis, Obidigbo said it is worrisome that a “bunch of felons” are holding the nation to ransom.
He said: “While it is common to see nationals from Niger, Mali, Cameroun and other countries set up flourishing businesses in the North, it is unfortunate that Igbo are haunted after they have helped to develop economic and social activities there.
“To worsen matters, nobody is speaking for Ndigbo. Some of our governors have been weakened by their political ambitions and others owe allegiance to interests outside the Igbo nation.
“This is the right time for Igbos to build a synergy with the Yoruba. The North has become too harsh for Igbo and their businesses. We need a rethink of this Nigeria project.”
The Nation
No comments:
Post a Comment