Lay Down Arms, Ohanaeze Ex-chieftain Begs ‘Unknown Gunmen’

A former chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu  Isiguzoro, has called on unknown gunmen operating in the Southeast to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

He expressed worry over the loss of billions of naira and property in the routine “Ghost Mondays” popularly known as “Monday Sit-at-Home” to violence and killing of Igbo by unidentified gunmen.

In a statement he issued yesterday, Isiguzoro said the killings had remained detrimental to the collective existence as Ndigbo and called on the “unknown gunmen” to end the killings and enforcement of the sit-at-home order in 2023.

Isiguzoro who is the factional secretary-general of the group noted that the incidents of brutal killings and slaying of Ndigbo by the unknown gunmen is a  bad omen that has bedeviled the Southeast and equally brought untold hardships, the strangulation of the economy and reopened the despair to Igbos, similar to Biafran war experience.

He said the introduction of violent agitation and the killing spree of herdsmen are the twins lapses that Igbos must end in 2023 through self-support.

He said: “Ndigbo should know that they have to defend themselves through self-help to end the madness of herdsmen and unknown gunmen terrorizing the people of the South East.

“It is obvious that delinquents and criminals has hijacked Biafra agitation, and the peaceful sympathetic objections, Igbo gave to detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has opened up windows for criminals like Simon Ekpa to start terrorizing the South East”.

“It’s time to go after the criminals and their sponsors to end the insecurity challenges by supporting the Southeast governors to wake up at their civic responsibilities of protection of lives and properties.”

Mazi Isiguzoro called on the federal government to initiate plans for the arrest of Ekpa and urged Nigerians to vote for competence and capacity in the 2023 presidential elections.