Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has urged the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to shelve the idea of the Sit At Home they have scheduled every Monday until the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released.
A statement issued on Wednesday by Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide read as follows:
“We have keenly watched events both in the polity and in Igboland and this is the time to make our stand known as we continue to push for the restoration of our place in the polity.
“May we state clearly that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths Worldwide under my leadership stand totally for the defense of the interest of Ndigbo. We will never allow anything that will go against the collective interest and unity of our people.
NNAMDI KANU/IPOB ORDER
We once more express deep concern over the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. We have earlier condemned the manner with which he was brought into the country, defying all international laws and conventions. Be that as it may, we urge the Federal Government that going forward, his rights and orders given by the same court where is standing trial must be respected. He should have access to his lawyer and family members as ordered by the court. We equally beg Igbo leaders not to abandon Nnamdi Kanu in his moment of trial. He may have erred in some of his strategies but this is not a time for blame games. We must save one of own, who we consider a political prisoner and only a political solution is the sure-rest way to his freedom. A delegation of the South-East leaders should as quickly as possible be sent to the Federal Government to facilitate his immediate release.
On the sit-at-home declared by the IPOB leadership starting from next Monday, we appeal that the decision be reconsidered in the interest of our people. May we not forget that most of the people we are fighting for are artisans who feed on their daily incomes and asking them to remain at home after the weekend break would impose serious economic burden on them. Besides, the National Examination Council, NECO, examination is also on-going and our youths, the future of tomorrow are taking part in that exam. Would we now say they should miss their examinations on such days? Our humble appeal is that we seek a political solution to this matter. We will not fail to thank the members of the IPOB for maintaining peace and resisting the temptation to protest, in the midst of provocation.
