Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has expressed deep sorrow over the brutal killing of some Northerners in Uromi, Edo State, last week.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, Ohanaeze Ndigbo strongly condemned the attack in all its forms and called on law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to track down the perpetrators.
The organization, however, criticized the widespread social media narratives blaming Igbos in Edo State for the incident, describing such claims as baseless and unfair.
“It is regrettable that often, some wilfully disposed self-inflicted mischievous fellows would always prefer to lay accusing fingers on Ndigbo at the slightest provocation, even when all indices to the same point to the contrary,” Ohanaeze stated.
The group questioned how Igbos could have orchestrated such an organized crime in Edo State, far from their homeland.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, therefore, urged “those treacherous fellows who are baselessly accusing Ndigbo in Edo of the killings” to desist from making inflammatory statements, warning that such accusations threaten national unity and peaceful coexistence.
The organization also encouraged Igbo people across Nigeria to remain peaceful, law-abiding, and continue their daily activities without fear.
It extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the repose of their souls.
Meanwhile, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has also expressed disappointment over the Senate’s failure to pass a motion to name the Abuja headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu.
It noted that as Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Nwosu conducted Nigeria’s most acclaimed presidential election in 1993, which, based on available records, was won by Chief MKO Abiola.
The group recalled that since Prof. Nwosu’s death on October 20, 2024, in Virginia, USA, there have been growing calls from Nigerians worldwide for him to be posthumously honored.
“The height of this patriotic call was the motion moved by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe on Wednesday, 25th March 2025, and supported by the South East Senators and other good-willed Senators in the Red Chambers, to name the INEC headquarters after the late academic luminary, but regrettably was not passed by the August body,” the statement read.
