IBB’s Memoir: Ohanaeze Demands FG’s Apology, Reparation Over Killing of 3m Igbos During Biafra War
Onyekachi Nnabu
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has commended the former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) for his bold and historic assertion that the January 1966 Coup d’état was unequivocally not an Igbo coup.
The body also demanded a public and unreserved apology from the President Bola Tinubu on behalf of past military regimes, particularly that of General Yakubu Gowon, who orchestrated unprovoked bombardments and shellings over Igbo territory during the Nigeria-Biafra War that resulted in immense human suffering and loss
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In a statement issued by the Deputy President General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze Ndigbo said that the development signalled a potential cessation of the entrenched vindictiveness, cruelty, and deep-seated animosities directed toward the Igbo Nation over the past five decades.
Isiguzoro reiterated their resolve that the Nigerian federal government must dispel the long-standing inequities perpetrated against the Igbo nation by paying reparations amounting to 10 trillion naira as an acknowledgement of the value of human lives lost and the cultural and infrastructural devastation endured by the people, which remained evident even 55 years post-conflict.
According to Isiguzoro: “We demand a public and unreserved apology from the President on behalf of past military regimes, particularly that of General Yakubu Gowon, who orchestrated unprovoked bombardments and shellings over Igbo territory during the Nigeria-Biafra War that resulted in immense human suffering and loss”.
“During his recent book launch titled “A Journey in Service,” General Babangida’s clarity regarding the 1966 coup, notably his exemption of the Igbo people from the unjust label of being “enemies of the North,” is indeed commendable—albeit belated”
“The ramifications of the erroneous classification of the 1966 January Coup as an Igbo insurrection have been profoundly detrimental, leading to catastrophic consequences not only during that tumultuous period but extending into the present day”.
“Specifically, this mischaracterization incited the July 1966 Counter Coup against the then Military Head of State of Igbo descent and precipitated violent uprisings targeting Igbo citizens residing in northern Nigeria, sowing seeds of discord that ultimately contributed to the tragic Biafra War, in which three million Igbos, predominantly women and children, lost their lives”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo lamented that in the wake of the tragic history, the Igbo people continue to suffer from systemic injustices and marginalization characterized by the permanent shutdown of the Calabar seaport and other critical infrastructures.
The apex body also called on President Tinubu to embrace this moment for genuine reconciliation and restorative justice, thereby laying the foundation for a united and harmonious Nigeria, where the scars of the past give way to a brighter future for all citizens.
