Hon. Ikani Calls For Value Reorientation Among Igala Youth as ICDA Holds National Summit
Ahiaba Douglas
A former Kogi State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice (2003–2007), and one-time Director of Prosecution with both the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hon. Prince Ben Ikani, has urged the sons and daughters of the Igala Nation to uphold the values and virtues for which the kingdom was historically known.
Hon. Ikani made this call during the maiden Igala Cultural Development Association (ICDA) Stakeholders’ Summit, held on Saturday, 16th August 2025, at Idah, the traditional headquarters of the Igala Kingdom. The summit was themed: “Consensus Building: The Right Path to Achieving Unity for a Greater Igala Kingdom.”
Speaking at the event, the legal luminary stressed that virtues such as honesty, integrity, and loyalty have been the hallmarks of the Igala people from time immemorial, adding that it was important for present and future generations to sustain these values.
While commending Igala sons and daughters for keeping away from drug trafficking and related crimes, he lamented the growing involvement of some indigenes in land racketeering, which he described as a dent on the reputation of the people, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory.
Hear him: “I have been a prosecutor with NDLEA for decades and handled many cases that led to convictions, but I have never seen any Igala name in a drug-related case. It makes me proud as an Igala man. However, when I got to EFCC as a prosecutor, most of the files we handled on land racketeering had Igala names. That is a disgrace to me.”
Hon. Ikani also decried the rising cases of drug abuse, cybercrime (‘Yahoo Yahoo’), and educational apathy among Igala youth. He warned against the culture of political violence that has taken root in some parts of the kingdom, describing the act of killing in the name of politics as heinous and unforgivable.
“If your aim is to serve, why should you kill the very people you claim you want to serve?” he queried.
The former Attorney General tasked the leadership of the ICDA to organize periodic youth conferences, where young people could be educated on the dangers of drug abuse and other social vices. He further advised the association to identify Igala professionals across different sectors who could support youth empowerment through skills acquisition and mentorship.
Hon. Ikani concluded by calling for massive enlightenment campaigns, awareness creation, and value reorientation programs to promote attitudinal change and restore the pride of the Igala nation.
