Ohanaeze Ndigbo youths have urged the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and security agencies to treat the unrest in Oyigbo local government area of the state with caution in order not to give the peaceful #EndSARS protest an ethnic coloration and endanger the lives of innocent Igbo people.
The South South Coordinator of Ohanaeze Youth Wing, Chief Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa, gave the warning while speaking with newsmen in Yenagoa on Friday over the crisis in the area arising from EndSARS peaceful protest.
He however condemned the alleged attacked on the Igbos in the area, saying the EndSARS protest was not a tribal affair but genuine agitation by Nigerian youths.
Arthur-Ugwa who also decried the vandalization of state and privately owned properties in Rivers State, regretting that the peaceful protest was unfortunately hijacked by miscreants, which led to the unlawful destruction and inhuman killing of people.
He urged the security agencies to arrest and prosecute anyone found guilty of the violence, while innocent Igbo people should be allow going about their businesses unrestricted.
He said: “The whole Nigeria is saying EndSARS, end bad leadership, the authorities have inaugurated judiciary panel of inquiry to look into the people’s complaints and suggest how best to handle it.
“Now, the most paramount thing is to ensure that peace is restored in Oyigbo before it gets out of hand.
“The protest is not an Igbo affair, it is not a tribal affair, it should not be tagged as such. Rivers State governor is the father of all youths in the state, he has the right to summon or call them to order.
“Igbo people are very peaceful people, anywhere we are, we are interested in doing business and looking for our daily bread, we are law abiding, we do not encourage crisis.
“We in Ohaneze would not come into issue of IPOB because we are not the spokesperson of IPOB, but we are interested in safety of every Igbo person” he said.
