A factional Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, speaks with Olanrewaju Olusegun on the insecurity in the southeast, the trial of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and forthcoming Anambra governorship election, among other issues

How are residents of the southeast coping with this sit-at-home order by IPOB which is believed to be having a toll on the economy of the region?

Let me first point out that the sit-at-home order is a loss of confidence between the people of the southeast and their political leaders. It is a revolt against the southeast governors, especially. The southeast governors have abused the level of trust the people reposed on them as their elected leaders and that is why they have shifted loyalty from state actors to non-state actors.

As a result of the plight the ordinary Igbo man suffers in Nigeria; as a result of the plight a common trader in Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba, Owerri, Abakaliki, Enugu, Awka, and other parts of the southeast, they have resorted to believing that a man who bears the same anguish and who has been standing for them, rightly or wrongly, is being incarcerated by the federal authorities that declared IPOB as a terrorist organisation, and decided to ignore other organisations like the violent Fulani herdsmen and bandits who have proved to be terrorists.

The Federal Government’s lackadaisical attitude of not declaring the northern killer groups as terrorists is worrisome and that is what prompted the Igbo nation to have sympathy for Nnamdi Kanu. That is also the reason why the call for sit-at-home by his (Kanu’s) disciples and adherents is being obeyed.

The governors in the region have done all they could to stop the sit-at-home order but the traders, artisans, farmers, businessmen, and other residents are obeying it because of the sympathy they now have for Kanu. Unfortunately, many of those who are proponents of this sit-at-home order are not residents in Nigeria.

They are abroad, and wherever they are in Asia, Europe, America, and other parts of the world, they do not obey the sit-at-home order, and it calls for worry. A lot of them will broadcast from abroad at night and in the morning they are back to work. It has become a herculean task for Ohanaeze Ndigbo to get the people to listen to the governors on the economic effect of this sit-at-home order.

Truth be told, at the moment, businesses are crumbling in the southeast, while investors are relocating from the region to Lagos and Abuja. If care is not taken, in the next six months, the southeast will not be different from the northeast in terms of internally displaced persons and abandoned communities.

Why do you think those who enforce this sit-at-home order are killing their brothers and sisters in the name of enforcing the order?

From observations, it appears as if there is an emerging revolution by the grassroots against the elites. Those who are promoting violence in the southeast are trying to copy what is happening in the north where they see what they are doing as a commercial venture, where bandits will kidnap students and receive ransom before releasing their captives.

What they are doing in the southeast is also to draw the attention of the state actors about their seriousness in what they are doing. The primary duties of the state governors are the protection of lives and properties, unfortunately, the table has turned because these agitators now behave like the northern bandits. As an organisation, we condemn any violent act that results in the killing of persons in the southeast by these agitators. It is more worrisome when you realise that the same region lost close to two million persons between 1967 and 1970 as a result of the civil war.

This whole thing is unfortunate and I believe we cannot continue to observe the sit-at-home order every Monday because criminals are hiding under it to perpetuate crime and kill businesses. As a group, we are of the view that the sit-at-home order should end and the people should return their loyalty to the state actors. They should give the state actors the benefits of righting the wrong again.

In exactly five days from today the much-talked-about Anambra governorship election will hold amid the tension of insecurity, what do you think is responsible for this?

Anambra is the gateway to the southeast and the state is believed to be the ancestral head of the Igbo nation. All Igbo people trace their roots to Anambra. The Anambra election is critical to the future of the Igbo nation. If you understand what is going on you will find out that the politicians are not helping matters. In the five southeast states, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have two states apiece, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has just one.

There are serious attempts to take over Anambra State, which is the only state being led by an APGA government, by the other big political parties. A lot of people are not comfortable with the role the leadership of the neighbouring Imo State is playing in this matter. People are also beginning to feel that the role the leadership of Imo State is playing is that of anti-Igbo agenda. Although the Igbo nation has never been in the opposition government, unfortunately, the mainstream government has been very unfair to the southeast.

So, what you are seeing in Anambra is a battleground and it is the politicians themselves that are influencing all these things. That is why you see kidnappers and criminals operating as unknown gunmen. A lot of criminals are hiding under the guise of IPOB, ESN to perpetrate a crime against the Igbo nation. What is happening in Anambra is politically motivated to ensure instability. At the moment, there are over 33,000 policemen in the state ahead of Saturday’s election. There are two deputy inspector generals of police, 10 commissioners of police, who will be in the state for one election. This whole thing is coming at a time when the IPOB is declaring a sit-at-home order from November 4 to 10.

Do you foresee the conduct of a peaceful election?
I do not foresee a peaceful election. There will surely be an election in Anambra, but what I envisage is that there will be voters’ apathy and this may give room for manipulation of the outcome of the exercise.

However, there will be conflict when the people try to resist any manipulation. The people will stand their ground by ensuring free and fair exercise, but I foresee a situation where security operatives may want to unleash terror on the people.

The trial of the leader of the proscribed IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, continued last week in Abuja, do you think the process has been fair so far?

Let me say this. Nnamdi Kanu is a British citizen. I believe that the United Nations would have started a secret inquiry on what transpired in his extradition from Kenya to Nigeria as to whether there were human rights abuses and others. For us as a group and other stakeholders in the southeast, we are trying to see how we can push for an out-of-court settlement on the matter for peace to return to the southeast. Whether we like it or not, what has happened from June to date after the extradition, shows that the Igbo nation has sympathy for Nnamdi Kanu. Let me put the records straight.

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The Federal Government is responsible for what Nnamdi Kanu has become. If there had been an all-inclusive government and attention given to the southeast, the people would not have listened to what Kanu was saying. If they (FG) had ignored Kanu and treated the Igbo people well, we would not be suffering what we are suffering today.

However, we are monitoring the processes of his trial because it has many international dimensions. And that is why we are calling on the UN, AU, and ECOWAS to convince President Muhammadu Buhari to open the window of dialogue with the Igbo people in the trial of Kanu. This will make the people feel that whatever is happening in the court will be based on equity and justice.

The position of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, is also not helping matters following the fresh terrorism charges that he added recently. The Federal Government should explore the area of out-of-court settlement to address this matter. As Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, I am ready to sacrifice my comfort to ensure that peace and normalcy return to the southeast.

How would you react to the call by some northern groups on the Federal Government to allow the southeast to exit Nigeria, isn’t it part of what the agitation in the southeast had been?

Nigerians should note that the Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) is the militant wing of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF)). In 2017 when the CNG was formed, their first assignment was to issue a quit notice for all Igbo people to relocate from the north. It is provocative to see that Igbo people are being blackmailed out of the 2023 presidential race. We see it as pure political blackmail against the southeast.

However, since the northern group has approached the court to compel the National Assembly for the southeast to be exited from Nigeria, we have already mandated our lawyers to be joined in the suit to ensure that whatever prayers sought from the court, we would ensure that it is granted. But they should not that if the Igbo people exit Nigeria, the country will be incomplete without the Igbo people.

We should live in peace and harmony than sowing seeds of discord that will lead to the disintegration of the country. If the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and NEF remain silent behind, sending their boys to come and insult and instigate the Igbo people for another civil war, let the Federal Government accent to the request that Igbo should be exited from Nigeria. It is an acceptable position by us.

Rep urges judicial officers to exercise caution in issuing ex-parte orders