The Youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has raised the alarm over what it called a well-articulated plan “by a certain fake Ohanaeze Youth Movement” to wreck havoc in Abuja during the celebration of Nigeria’s 55th Independence anniversary.
In a statement made available to journalists in Enugu on Wednesday, the Ohanaeze Youth Council said the same group had earlier staged a “mock protest” at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the statement signed by Ohanaeze Youth Council’s Deputy National Secretary, and the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Stanley Nwanka and Hon. Obinna Adibe, respectively, it called on the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, to monitor the activities of the said group.
This is also as the OYC disowned the protest by the so-called Ohanaeze Youth Movement at the National Assembly, insisting that it was not involved in any such attempt to create tension in the nation’s polity.
The statement read: “The Ohanaeze Youth Council Worldwide is pained and deeply worried by the well orchestrated plan by some elements to drag its name to the current happenings at the national assembly for selfish reasons.
“We want to state categorically that at no time did the Ohanaeze Youth Council sit to discuss the current happenings at the National Assembly, neither did it sponsor or take part in any protest under whatever guise.
“Therefore, we were indeed shocked and embarrassed over media reports that Ohanaeze Youth Movement staged protest at the National Assembly. It for this purpose that we alert the general public that there is nothing like Ohanaeze Youth Movement. The Youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is clearly identified as Ohanaeze Youth Council.
“What happened at the National Assembly was a gathering of some criminal elements, who were transported to Abuja for some sinister motives. It beats our imagination why they chose to hide under the Ohanaeze Youth Council to satisfy their pay-masters.
“No true Igbo man or woman could have gone to Abuja to engage in such a jamboree on the 29th of September, a day set aside as National Igbo-day celebration. As such, these people are not from Igbo land, neither are they members of the Ohanaeze Youths”. The statement called on security agencies to tighten their noose around leaders of the group with a view to nipping in the bud their plan to cause mayhem in Abuja.
“We are aware that before that organized and politically sponsored protest, one of them, who claims to be a lawyer went from one television station to the other where he tried to sell his dummy to unsuspecting members of the public.
“Having succeeded in deceiving the public for the first time, using the name of Ohanaeze Youths, their next plan is to launch a violent attack in Abuja in order to put Ndigbo in disrepute. We urge security operatives to go after them before they strike a second time”, the group further stated.
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