Apex Igbo cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has demanded an apology from Nigeria over long held allegations that the 1966 coup was orchestrated by military officers of Igbo extraction.
The group was reacting to revelation made by former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida during the launch of his book, “A Journey in Service” that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup as alleged.
They also demanded a N10 trillion compensation from President Bola Tinubu to the Igbos for the allegations and stigmatization they have faced since the bloody coup which was led by Maj. Chukwuma Nzeogu.
The group emphasized that that an apology and compensation to the Igbos were long overdue for the myriad wrongdoings inflicted upon the Igbo nation, which continue even decades after the conclusion of the Biafra War.
The statement added that IBB’s revelations should compel Nigeria and Nigerians to confront the stark injustices perpetrated against the Igbo people, insisting that President Tinubu must seize the moment and extend an unequivocal apology on behalf of previous military regimes, particularly General Yakubu Gowon’s administration.
“The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, extends its profound appreciation to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) for his remarkable courage in officially declaring that the January 1966 coup was unequivocally not an Igbo coup,” the statement reads.
“This pivotal acknowledgement is not merely a correction of historical nomenclature but a significant moment in our collective pursuit of justice and reconciliation, signalling a potential end to the historical vindictiveness and cruelty that have been pervasive in Federal Government policies towards the Igbo Nation.
“His forthright exemption of the Igbo from the egregious classification as enemies of the Northern region in the aftermath of the coup is both timely and necessary, even if it arrives decades later.
“The staggering loss of life, with approximately three million Igbos—predominantly innocent women and children— slaughtered during this conflict, continues to reverberate through our collective consciousness.
“Furthermore, even in the post-Biafra era, the Igbo Nation continues to grapple with systemic injustices, evidenced by acute marginalisation that leaves us with the smallest representation of states within the Nigerian federation.
“The political conspiracies designed to deny the Igbo the rights to ascend to the highest office in the land—Nigeria’s Presidency—the chronic economic neglect symbolised by the closure of the Calabar seaport, the inoperative state of several ports in Igbo land, the implementation of a discriminatory quota system, and the conspicuous absence of functional international airports in the Southeast starkly illustrate the Federal Government’s long-standing policy of exclusion.
“In light of these egregious injustices and the deliberate neglect exhibited by successive administrations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo hereby restates its demands, as articulated previously during the Justice Oputa-led Judicial Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations Panel in 1999.
“We assert that the Nigerian Federal Government, under General Yakubu Gowon, conducted indiscriminate and unjustified bombardments in Igbo territory during the Nigeria-Biafra War, resulting in overwhelming loss of life. These historical realities establish an irrefutable case for the reparations we seek.
“The present Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must recognise this moment as an opportunity to extend a public and unequivocal apology on behalf of previous military regimes. Our demand for ten trillion naira in reparations remains steadfast.
