The South-East Igbo Youth Stakeholders are asking the Federal Government to unproscribe IPOB, the Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist organization as one of the steps for peace in the South-East region.
The group which is an expanded Igbo Youth stakeholders and comprising Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth, National Youth Council of Nigeria (South-East), Nigerian Youth Congress (South-East), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other youth leaders of South-East extraction, have made the statement to the Federal to unrposcribe IPOB on Thursday 13th May 2021.
In a communique issued and signed by the Deputy National President, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Comrade Innocent Nduanya, Comrade Chuks Okafor, NANS Senate President, Maazi Chukwuma Okpalezeukwu, for Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth, Comrade Maxwell Ezelagwu, for Nigeria Youth Congress, Comrade Ilogebe Chidi, immediate past NANS president, Comrade Pascal Ugwu, South East, Chairman, among others at the end of their meeting in Awka, said that having considered the state of the Nation, the increasing state of insecurity, the overall development of the Igbo nation, they resolved as follows:
“As a step towards genuine peace and reconciliation as championed by Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Federal Government and South-East Governors should as a matter of urgency, unproscribe IPOB as a terrorist organization and called for the release of all political prisoners of Igbo extraction”.
They regretted the heightened insecurity in the South-East which has resulted in the loss of lives of their people, security agents and properties and they deeply commiserate with the families of the bereaved.
The group further called on the South-East Governors to synergize and liaise with the relevant stakeholders especially the youth to arrest the current security challenges in the region.
They condemned in totality the wanton destruction of lives and properties in the South-East and appealed to the perpetrators of the criminal act to desist forthwith and seek a proper means of airing their grievances, and urgedSouth-East Governors to encourage Community Policing by strengthening and digitalizing the local vigilante GROUP in the Zone.
They said that they unequivocally align with the resolution of the Southern Governors and call for a necessary legal framework for immediate implementation of the resolution and proposed for a quarterly interface between the Governors of the South-East and the Youth stakeholders so that the issues of the zone will be regularly reviewed.
The group called on the South-East Governors to fully implement the recommendations of the ENDSARS panel report, especially on Youth Development and also review the Laws of their various State Security Council Committees to include critical youth stakeholders.
The group further called on the South-East Governors to adopt business-friendly policies to attract Ndigbo’s investments back home.
They noted that for the sake of fairness, equity and justice, every Political party should zone their Presidential candidate to the South-East.
They unanimously resolved to convene an all-important Youth Security Stakeholders Summit to be held soon and to be an annual event to appraise security issues.