Onitsha: Blood of Igbo youths killed by ‘external forces’ will be on ‘dictator’ Soludo’s hands – Activists
SKAiF NewsNG SNN
A coalition of pan-Igbo self-determination activists, under the aegis of the Rising Sun Foundation, has condemned Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo’s use of security forces to enforce the closure of Onitsha Main Market.
DAILY POST reports that armoured tanks and heavily armed security agents were deployed at the market on Tuesday after Soludo, on Monday, ordered the closure of the facility for a week following traders’ decision to close their shops and observe the sit-at-home in the South-East. Incensed by the development, Soludo threatened that the market would be shut down for a month if traders failed to open their shops by next Monday.
The security forces deployed at the market prevented traders from accessing their shops on Tuesday, leading to protests by the merchants.
Reacting to the development, the pan-Igbo self-determination activists, Rising Sun Foundation, expressed shock and concern that Governor Soludo opted to behave like a dictator by drafting “predominantly non-Igbo military and police personnel” to keep traders out of their shops, thereby “strangling the economic lifeblood” of the people he swore to protect.
Rising Sun Foundation, in a statement signed by Dr. Maxwell Dede, warned that the blood of any Igbo youth harmed or killed by security forces would be on Soludo’s hands. The activists vowed that they would not stand by and watch while any governor in the South-East colludes with external forces to spill the blood of Igbo youths.
The activists announced the commencement of moves to have Soludo declared persona non grata by the international community.
Warning of “catastrophic consequences,” the statement said: “Let this be unequivocally clear to Governor Soludo and his enablers: Any harm,be it injury, detention, or death, inflicted upon peaceful protesters or merchants exercising their rights will be construed as an open declaration of war against the Igbo people and their fundamental human rights. The blood will be on Soludo’s hands.
“Should there be any breakdown of law and order, the world must look first to the Government House in Awka. Governor Soludo fired the first shot with this unjust and provocative blockade.
“We are a peaceful people, but we say no more killings. The era of Igbo governors colluding to spill the blood of Igbo youths is over. We will not stand idly by and watch history repeat itself.
“The Rising Sun Foundation hereby initiates the process to have Governor Charles Soludo declared persona non grata across civilised nations for his gross violation of democratic norms and economic rights. His welcome on the international stage will be rightfully rescinded.”
The activists warned Soludo to stop what they described as his serial betrayal of Igbos, including IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
“The Rising Sun Foundation, alongside the global coalition for Biafra restoration, issues this stern warning to the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo: your tyrannical blockade of the Onitsha business district and flagrant betrayal of the Igbo people must cease immediately.
“Governor Soludo stands accused of a profound and treacherous betrayal. Four years ago, he courted the support of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the aspirations of millions, publicly pledging on television and in private to facilitate a grand dialogue for the Igbo people to determine their future within or outside Nigeria. Today, rather than honour that solemn promise, he actively persecutes the very people and principles that propelled him to power. His visible comfort with the continued and unjust detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government reveals his true character—a politician of convenience, not conviction.
“The current crisis in Onitsha is not a result of merchant disobedience but of gubernatorial failure and dictatorial impulse. Instead of addressing the root cause of regional tension, the unlawful detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Governor Soludo has chosen to play the oppressor.
“His decree to forcibly shut down markets and his deployment of predominantly non-Igbo military and police personnel to blockade economic arteries is the act of a tin-pot dictator, not a democratic leader. He is strangling the economic lifeblood of the people he swore to serve, shattering the fragile peace he claims to protect.
“We view with utmost trepidation this violent disruption of commerce and the sinister precedent of using external security forces to suppress civil and economic rights,” the statement said.
The activists insisted that the people of Onitsha and the wider South-East have the absolute right to peacefully protest and to designate days, such as Mondays, to mourn injustice and demand their rights.
“The right to self-determination, recognised under Nigerian and international law, is not a crime,” the statement declared.
The activists called on international observers, human rights organisations, and the Nigerian Federal Government to take note of what is happening in Onitsha, Anambra State.
“The siege on Onitsha must be lifted. The path to peace in the South-East is through justice, dialogue, and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, not through military barricades and economic suffocation.
“Governor Soludo, you are at the brink. Pull back. Respect the people. Honour your forgotten promises. The world is watching,” the Rising Sun Foundation added.
