The Coalition of Concerned Igbo Religious Leaders (Christian, Traditional and Interfaith) has alleged that the forces opposed to the Aburi Accord leading to the Biafra war are still working against Igbo interests.
The coalition, which comprises bishops, pastors, priests, and custodians of Igbo traditional spirituality, spoke in a statement released by Rev. Tony Anthony on Wednesday, in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
The religious leaders said they decided to speak out not because of partisan politics but from the moral and spiritual duty to defend truth, protect the people, and confront the recurring betrayal that has long plagued the Igbo nation.
“The same forces that twisted the Aburi Accord in 1967 are at work again today. The method is identical: take an agreement or a defensive initiative born of necessity, distort it through propaganda, and blame the victim for the ensuing crisis.
“In 1967, the Aburi Accord in Ghana produced a clear understanding that Nigeria must be restructured on a confederal basis to guarantee regional autonomy and protect the Eastern Region from marginalisation.
“Yet, Britain and the Nigerian military government, through deliberate distortion and bad faith, reframed that consensus as Ojukwu’s ultimatum for war.
“The result was a brutal conflict that cost millions of Igbo lives. Today, history repeats itself with chilling precision,” the statement said.
The religious leaders noted that the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was birthed by necessity after Igbo governors, led by Dave Umahi and backed by then Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, unilaterally proscribed IPOB and invited the military into the South East, under the guise of ‘Operation Python Dance II’.
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The coalition questioned why did Igbo governors, envious of Kanu’s unmatched popularity among the masses, rush to proscribe IPOB and open the gates for military invasion, instead of engaging the legitimate grievances he raised.
The religious leaders noted that the problem with Igbos is not their industriousness, republican spirit, or the demand for justice, but the persistent presence men and women who, for personal gain, political appointment, or sheer envy, have mortgaged the collective destiny of Ndigbo to external oppressors.
They noted that these internal saboteurs twist every narrative, celebrate every setback to the Biafra cause, and attack the very structures (like ESN) that have shielded the women, children, and farmlands from the banditry that has ravaged other regions.
