in Abakaliki 

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said the Igbo people would not participate in the proposed June 12 Democracy Day protest.

In a statement issued by the Deputy President General of the organisation, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the body noted that the decision to advocate against participation in the June 12 protests was not born out of indifference but a calculated maneuver aimed at safeguarding lives and properties of Igbo people.

He further declared that no protests would be permitted across all seven Igbo-speaking states until their collective questions were adequately addressed by the Nigerian government.

“We wish to convey a crucial, and perhaps uncomfortable, reality to the organisers of the national protests. There exists a unanimous consensus among Ndigbo regarding our refusal to engage in any form of protest, neither in our region nor in other locales across Nigeria where Igbo reside.

“Moreover, it is of utmost importance to inform the public that a clandestine plot is reportedly being contrived in Abuja, Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Lagos by unpatriotic politicians and unscrupulous anti-democratic elements. 

“It appears there is an intention to utilise these national protests as instruments of destabilisation against President Tinubu’s administration, all while seeking to cast the Igbo as adversaries of the state. This must not stand unchallenged,” it stated.

Ohanaeze added that Ndigbo has endured horrific experiences in the wake of previous national protests, which were often marred by betrayal and treachery.

“Historical evidence reveals that during such struggles, Igbos have been ruthlessly scapegoated and sacrificially consumed in the frenzy of national unrest. 

“For 65 years post-independence, we have witnessed our people suffer disproportionately in anti-government protests, highlighted by an unforgiving tide of violence.

“Compounding these extraordinary challenges are the severe insecurity issues pervading the Southeast, which renders any form of protest not only imprudent but perilous. 

“Additionally, it is paramount to assert that we, as Igbos, will not engage in national protests until our urgent demands are addressed, particularly the release of all Igbo prisoners of conscience unlawfully held across various detention centers,” Isiguzoro said.