Igbo youth leaders have condemned a fake news report allegedly quoting the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Mbata, as calling on Igbo men to arm themselves, saying, “a war is looking.”
The widely circulated statement falsely claimed that Senator Mbata said, “Every Igbo man from 18 years up must get a gun, stack weapons. Igboland is under terrorist siege and must be defended. A war is coming in days.”
Reacting to the development, the Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly, in a statement released on Sunday, signed by its leader, Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, described the report as “mischievous, clueless and malicious propaganda.”
The group called on security agencies, including the National Security Adviser and the Inspector-General of Police, to investigate and prosecute those behind the fake news, which it said poses a serious threat to national security.
According to the statement, Senator Mbata is a renowned statesman and patriot with impeccable character and an outstanding track record, urging the public to disregard the false report and always verify sensitive information before sharing.
The statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to the unfounded, mischievous, and clueless allegations against the Leader of the Igbo Nation and renowned President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta Mbata, where he was accused of thus and I quote ‘Every Igbo Man from 18 years up must get a gun, stack weapons. Igbo land is under terrorist siege and must be defended. A war is coming in days.”
“This is fake news! And we hereby categorically state that our Leader and President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide did not and can never issue such a call for arms. Therefore, this malicious propaganda and criminal blackmail, for whatever purpose and intention, is dead on arrival.
“The Leader of the Igbo sociocultural and political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta Mbata, is a renowned statesman and remarkable Patriot with impeccable character and outstanding track record.
“In strong terms, we condemn such mischievous and false insinuations and urge the unsuspecting public to disregard the fake news, and to consciously verify such sensitive content before dissemination, in order not to fall victim to or aid the peddlers of fake news, indirectly or unknowingly.
“Nevertheless, this is a matter of National Security, and cannot be swept under the carpet. Sequel to the above, we call on the offices of- the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, Director General of State Security Service and other appropriate authority, to collectively deploy their widespread investigation mechanisms in order to detect, arrest and prosecute the sponsors and promoters of this expensive fake news that is tantamount to undermining our collective efforts for Stability, Peace and National Security.
“Igbo land, especially the South East, is a peculiar terrain with unique challenges ranging from a fair share of the National insecurity, gross marginalisation and neglect, absence of capital projects and National Development efforts for a better society.
“We therefore commend the recent efforts of the South East Development Commission for the South East Vision 2050, which is geared towards addressing most of the peculiar challenges of the Igbo Nation.
“We therefore urge the Leadership and Management of the Development Commission not to resort to business as usual, but to march words with actions rather than beautiful conferences and rhetoric.
“We also urge the Commission to work closely with the South East States Government and other Stakeholders and prioritise regional security, as no meaningful development can thrive amidst insecurity.
“As we commend the genuine efforts of our Political Leaders and Security Agencies for safe and Secure communities, we respectfully call for Political solutions and Non kinetic approach to the hydra headed Security challenges facing us today as a Nation.”
PUNCH Online earlier reported that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo had also dismissed claims that its leadership had issued an “urgent call to arms”, allegedly warning that every Igbo man from age 18 must get a gun because “a war is coming in days”.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, the National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, urged members of the public to ignore the claims, describing it as a “false, malicious and incendiary” story
Chukwu also described the claims as “a product from the pit of hell”, crafted to deceive the unsuspecting public and malign the leadership and corporate integrity of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, adding that the purveyors of the story are enemies of Ndigbo and enemies of Nigeria.
He said the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide never made such infernal statements, never issued any “satanic” call to arms and never authorised any such “demonic” publication.
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