Debora’s Murder: Ohanaeze Condemns Attacks On Ndigbo In Sokoto

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Sunday, condemned the destruction of Igbo property and business outfits during the protest by the Muslim faithful in Sokoto on Saturday.

The protesters were pressing for the release of the masterminds of the killers of Debora Samuel who was burnt to death over alleged blasphemy.

Ohanaeze’s statement was disclosed by its national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, which was made available to THE WHISTLER in Awka.

Ohanaeze, in the statement, ‘wonders the nexus between the Igbo traders and Miss Deborah Samuel, an indigene of Niger State, who was alleged to have blasphemed against Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’

The statement read in parts, “Ohanaeze watched the clip with intense curiosity, the background of the killing and burning of Miss Samuel at Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, and could not in any way fathom any iota of Igbo connection to the incident.

“An Igbo neither interfered nor was an accessory in the said blasphemy. The question on every lip all over the world is ‘why again the Igbo’?”

Ohanaeze expressed anger that ‘at any time there is any form of misconception or crisis in the North, it often ends with a mob that goes against the Igbo commercial and residential interests’.

Dr Ogbonnia stated further that, “For instance, in February 2016, there was a cartoon about Prophet Muhammad by the Danish newspaper in faraway Denmark which generated an international uproar.

“The uproar took an inexplicable barbaric dimension in Maiduguri, Nigeria, where over 50 people, identified as Christians, were killed, mostly of Igbo ethnic group and many of their property were either destroyed or damaged by rioting Muslims.”

He recalled that, “Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, lamented that insecurity of Igbo people in Nigeria has reached a dangerous level of existential threat, saying the Igbo are the most vulnerable and victims of violence throughout Nigeria.”

Ohanaeze regretted the killing of Debora, noting that, ‘the core essence of religion all over the world is to enhance humanity with such values as love, peace, fellow feeling’.

The statement added, “The transcendental imperative of every religion revolves around tolerance and empathy. The diversity of mankind makes it practically impossible for everybody to belong to one faith.”

On the mayhem visited on the Igbo in Sokoto, the statement read, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo asks the Igbo community in Sokoto State to remain calm and take stock of all the damages done to their houses, shops and goods in Sokoto with a view to seeking compensation from the relevant authorities.

“The Igbo owe it a duty to work hard and also contribute in developing every community they find themselves. That is patriotism.

“Therefore, there is no gainsaying the Igbo contributions to national development all over the country, but to victimize Ndigbo for reasons unknown to them or to subject the Igbo to the butt and dregs of society or to the receiving end of the current Nigerian predicament is to say the least unacceptable.

,,”Ohanaeze is delighted that President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the resort to self-help by the mob in Sokoto, resulting in violence, destruction and killing of Deborah.”

The pan-Igbo group commended Sokoto governor, Mr Aminu Tambuwal, for his timely intervention, adding that, “We urge the governor to ensure that all those that were involved in the destruction of the Igbo property are brought to book.”

The Igbo group also called on Tambuwal ‘to mitigate the losses incurred by the Igbo traders in Sokoto State over what they knew not’.