By Chukwudi Obasi
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has faulted the Federal Government’s amnesty programme, alleging the exclusion of 1,443 repented Igbo militants and former Biafran agitators from the ongoing rehabilitation initiative.
The group described the development as “deliberate and unjustifiable,” warning that the continued omission of Igbo ex-combatants from the De-Radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme under Operation Safe Corridor undermines national unity and fuels regional grievances.
The position was contained in a statement issued Sunday by Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and National Spokesman, Chief Thompson Ohia, who urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “urgently intervene and end this glaring injustice.”
Ohanaeze, while acknowledging the Federal Government’s decision to grant amnesty to about 700 repented Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, questioned what it termed a “glaring disparity” in the treatment of former combatants across regions.
“We commend the government’s rehabilitation efforts, but we must ask why over 700 terrorists are reintegrated while 1,443 repented Biafra agitators are denied the same opportunity,” the group said.
It argued that the exclusion of Southeast participants from the programme was “inequitable and counterproductive,” noting that such a policy could worsen insecurity and deepen feelings of marginalisation among the Igbo.
The organisation also called on the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to address what it described as a “gross oversight” in national security policy, insisting that inclusive reintegration remains critical to sustainable peace.
Ohanaeze further demanded the inclusion of all “prisoners of conscience,” including Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in any future amnesty arrangements, stressing that reconciliation must be comprehensive to be effective.
“The exclusion of the Igbo from amnesty initiatives is not only unjust but impractical. It risks perpetuating unrest and disenchantment,” the statement added.
The group maintained that integrating the 1,443 repented militants—drawn from Igbo-speaking areas, including parts of Delta and Rivers states—would help reduce violence and restore stability in the region.
