Apex Igbo Socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu not to yield the demand for a ransom of 1 billion naira to liberate the abducted Kaduna school children.
Ohanaeze said that the demand is a ploy to coerce him into subservient to Northern bandits and terrorists.
On 7 March 2024, the gunmen kidnapped 287 students and teachers from the LEA primary school, and Government Secondary School, Kuriga, Kaduna State.
A statement issued on Monday by Ohanaeze’s factional Secretary-general, Mazi Okechukwu lsiguzoro, staunchly condemned the flagrant recklessness exhibited by Northern Political elites.
The statement read in part” The chilling echoes of 2014 reverberate ominously, reminding us of the insidious machinations that upended Southern President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure in 2015, paving the way for the ascendancy of Northern President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the statement, President Tinubu should heed the clarion call, that the North is orchestrating a sinister replay of the destructive script that manipulated former President Jonathan.
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“Do Not succumb to the Northern Elders Forum’s pressure or the persuasive overtures of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi advocating for ill-advised negotiations with terrorists. Stand firm, for the fate of the nation hangs in the balance.
“Remember the dire consequences of yielding to such insidious tactics. A nation compromised, a people in peril. President Tinubu, this is your moment to wield both gentle diplomacy and resolute force in vanquishing the scourge of insecurity.
“Any semblance of capitulation will embolden the perpetrators, embroiling the nation in a cycle of payouts and concessions, entwined in the web of Northern potentates who seek to perpetuate their grip on power.
“The Southern masses stand steadfastly with you, President Tinubu, urging you to navigate this treacherous terrain with steadfast courage and resolute determination. We entreat you to be the beacon of unwavering resolve, the embodiment of strength and leadership.
“Let history not repeat itself. Let the 2014 playbook remain closed, a relic of past transgressions. Rise above the fray, President Tinubu, and lead us into a future free from the taint of Northern machinations, free from the shackles of fear and uncertainty.
