Dare Babalola
The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has urged all Igbos doing business in different parts of the country to shut their shops and companies to enable them join the peaceful protest march to Aso Rock to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Recall that rights activist Omoyele Sowore had recently announced that the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest would hold on October 20, describing the date as “sacrosanct.”
A statement made available to Journalists on Tuesday by the OYC National President, Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, said the nationwide solidarity action is a moral and patriotic duty, and a peaceful declaration that the Igbo nation stands firmly with truth, justice, and the rule of law.
“We cannot continue business as usual while a son of Igboland remains unjustly detained against multiple subsisting court judgments ordering his release,” Igboayaka said.
Igboayaka who alleged that bandits were granted amnesty in the North, expressed surprise that such was happening at the same time Nnamdi Kanu is still being held in detention.
According to him, the situation is ethnic injustice and political persecution against Ndigbo and other marginalized tribes.
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of the Progressives Unity and Development Forum (PUDF) has cautioned Sowore and IPOB against going ahead with their planned nationwide protest.
PUDF, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Abraham Nwanchukwu, and made available to journalists, warned that the protest could be hijacked by hoodlums and political elements who might use it to unleash violence and attack government facilities.
“Sowore should be told now, before the D-Day, that similar protests in the past spiraled out of control, with hoodlums taking advantage to loot and destroy public and private properties,” the statement read in part.
The group recalled previous incidents in Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos where peaceful demonstrations turned violent, leading to the destruction of public infrastructure.
“Against this background, we are calling on IPOB, Sowore, and other supporters of the planned protest to shelve the action and adopt more civic and responsible means of engagement,” PUDF said.
It also warned that “nobody has a monopoly of violence” and called on the security agencies to be alert to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
The group further appealed to Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used by individuals “seeking to destabilise the country under the guise of activism”.
