Ohanaeze Declares Ambode Igbos' Arch-Enemy

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has been described as the number enemy of the Igbo tribe. This announcement was made by the apex socio-Igbo cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

This followed the demolition of a market in Oshodi largely dominated by the Igbos by the state government last week.

The Lagos State Government explained that it brought down the market because of criminal activities going on in that place, but that did not go down well with the group, especially the traders, who felt they are being persecuted.

Ohanaeze, at a press conference in Enugu on Monday, maintained that the governor has drawn a battle line with the Igbos.

Speaking, National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the National Secretary, Okwu Nnabuike, described the governor’s action as one done in bad faith.

“It is instructive to observe here that contrary to all principles of common justice, the traders were merely given few days quit notice. It is equally shocking that the government chose such a wrong time for the demolition exercise, thereby not only taking the shops from them but making sure that their wares were looted,” the group said.

It added that, “We are forced to ask: could this be the starting point in implementing Oba of Lagos’s earlier threat during the election period that Ndigbo would be thrown into the Lagoon? Could it be another round of deportation of exercise, similar to what former governor Fashola did? These appear to be so considering that a witch cried in the night and a child died in the morning.”

According to Ohanaeze, “It is quite inhuman for people’s means of livelihood to be taken away from them in such a manner. The government’s claim that arms were recovered from a section of the market does not fly at all here because it cannot be a reason for such a wicked treatment purely targeted on a particular people.

“We demand that the Governor of Lagos State should direct relevant government agencies to adequately compensate these traders; anything short of that, Ndigbo will henceforth regard the Governor as their number one arch-enemy.”