Civil War: Ohanaeze demands N2.4trn compensation, apology from Nigerian government

Ohaneze Ndigbo, a pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, Friday, demanded for a whooping sum of N2.4 trillion from the Federal Government as reimbursement and compensation to Igbo nation in the five South East states and Anioma in Delta State, who lost their loved ones and property during the 1967-1970 civil war.

The group also asked the Federal Government to tender a “State Apology for the wrongs the government and people of Nigeria did to Ndigbo and Igboland” in the past.

The demands were contained in a statement entitled, ‘The Atrocities and Injustice Against Ndigbo and Ohanaeze Ndigbo: Demand for Reparation,’ issued by the Chairman, Ohanaeze Reparation Committee, Chief Mbazulike Amechi in Enugu.

Ohaneze recalled that on May 25, 2013 during its Imeobi meeting, which is the supreme executive organ of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, it had resolved that ‘enough was enough’ and that Ndigbo should now demand reparation and compensation and Put a final stop to the persecution of Ndigbo in their fatherland.

Amechi disclosed that the committee, had taken the pains to highlight some of the atrocities, injustice and deprivation the Igbo nation suffered during the civil war, and thus demanded that the Federal Government should in addition to tendering a state apology, pay a token of N400 billion to each of the five states of Igboland as compensation for the innumerable damage done to the Igbo race.

The statement reads in full, “It is incalculable to put a price on the death of millions of Igbo who were killed in the civil war and on other occasions.

“However the Federal Government should pay a token of N400 billion to each of the five states of Igboland as compensation to those who lost their loved ones, lost property and those still suffering dislocation and seizure of property.

“The same amount should be paid to the government of Delta State for the benefit of Anioma area of the state,” Amechi said.

“On March 31, 1953, Tony Enahoro moved a motion in the House of Representatives asking for independence for Nigeria.

“Northern members of the House under the leadership of Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto) vehemently opposed the motion and threatened to break away from the federation.

“Shortly after that, S.L. Akintola went to Kano and in trying to explain the case for independence, said something which Northerners did not like. Their youths took up weapons and massively killed Igbos in such big towns as Kano, Kaduna, Zaria, etc; and destroyed and looted their property.

“It was known that over 300 Igbo were killed, but official figures released by the government only admitted that “36 people killed and 227 wounded.”

“In January 1966 some officers in the Nigerian Army organised a coup d’etat and overthrew the government of nationalists and founding fathers of the federation.

“A carefully planned pogrom and genocide was unleashed on the Igbo mainly in the North. On May 29, 1966 they commenced what they termed “ARABA” test riots. With the help of the police, Northern youths embarked on a supervised bloody ‘riot’ which lasted for seven agonising days in which hundreds of Igbo were killed all over the North and their property destroyed or looted.

“On July 29, 1966, in what was termed “Counter Revolution and Ethnic Cleansing” which began with the killing of Major Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi and over 300 military officers and men of Igbo origin escalated into the massacre of unsuspecting Igbo civilians, men, women and children in many Northern towns on a scale unprecedented in any part of the world even more gruesome than the killings of the Jews in Hitler’s German government.”