Igbo Groups In U S Decry IGP’s ‘Kill Them All’ Order To Police In Southeast

Igbo groups in the United States, Sunday, condemned the reported ‘shoot-at-sight’ order issued by the inspector general of police against Igbo youths. 

The groups– the Coordination of World Igbo Congress (WIC), Igbo World Assembly (IWA) and Nzuko Umunna– also said they were abreast of the ‘worsening security challenges in Nigeria’, and how ‘terrorism, killer herdsmen and banditry’ that hitherto were in some parts of the north were taking their tolls on the Southern part of the country.

They however expressed concerns on the ‘posture of the federal government and response by the law enforcement agents to the situation’.

According to them, in a release made available to THE WHISTLER, “The utterances from the Presidency, government and law enforcement officials are laced with a desire to turn the region into a war zone. The worst case scenario was the latest comment credited to the inspector-general of police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba.”
 
The statement jointly signed by Prof Anthony Ejiofor, chairman, World Igbo Congress; Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, chairman, Igbo World Assembly; Sir Ngozi Odumuko, executive secretary, Nzuko Umunna, and Elder Amadiebube Mbama, coordinator, Joint Action Committee, quoted the IGP to have said, ‘“If anyone accuses you of human rights violation, the report will come to my table and you know what I will do. So, take the battle to them wherever they are and kill them all. Don’t wait for an order”. 

‘This statement, if true, is a call for genocide, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations against people of the South East and South South regions. 

‘Not only are we shocked that the IGP Baba did not deny and disassociate himself from such statement, we are equally surprised that the Presidency failed to call him to order and reassure the people of the zones who are already traumatised by such order that this is not case.

‘We want to believe that this is not a state policy to designate the old Eastern region as an occupied territory since the end of the Biafra-Nigerian civil war.
 
‘Ndigbo in the diaspora condemn the shoot-at-sight order given by the IG of police and the military chiefs as part of their Rule of Engagements (ROE), which violates the Geneva convention on laws protecting civilians in conflict.
 
‘Ndigbo in the United States have commenced actions to hold the police chief to account and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces for declaration of war on citizens of Nigeria, particularly in the South East and South South regions.
 
‘We want to bring the attention of the IGP, service chiefs and Presidency that the international conventions and international rules are not being followed in the latest rules of engagement for their operations in Igbo land and, therefore, constitute acts or intent to commit genocide. 
 
‘We urge the government to explore dialogue as an avenue to lasting peace in the regions and not a military-era shoot-at-sight order. We are asking the government to engage with the people and leaders of these regions to assuage their grievances, which borders on marginalisation and systemic discrimination. 
 
‘We are also using this opportunity to inform the international community and human rights organisations that if the government and law enforcement agents continue with the bloodletting, then President Muhammadu Buhari and his service chiefs will have cases to answer at the International Criminal Court. 
 
‘We call on the federal government to embrace the 12-point agenda adopted by the governors of the Southern Nigeria, especially on restructuring, state policing and ban on opening grazing of livestock.’