Igbo women under the aegis of Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) have urged a former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), to break his silence and say the truth about the Aburi Accord.

The group insisted that there was nothing wrong in honouring victims of the Nigerian civil war, contrary to misconceptions about Biafra day anniversary.

The Igbo women, who spoke on the heels of the recent sit-at-home declared by Biafra agitators on May 30, in honour of those who lost their lives while defending the defunct republic, said “remembering fallen heroes and heroines is a global practice that should not be criminalized.”

National President of IWA, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, said that “Biafra remembrance day has got to be part of our history that cannot be suppressed.”

While appealing to the former Head of State to come out clean on the Aburi Accord, Chimezie urged Gowon “not to die with the truth about Aburi accord and the real cause of the Biafra war”.

She commended all those who despite all odds, observed the sit-at-home in honour of all those both soldiers and civilians who died in the cause of “the avoidable war.”

“Igbo women want to put it on record that those who died while defending us during the civil war were not goats but our beloved husbands and youths.

We don’t believe that setting aside a day to remember them is a crime.

She advised the Federal Government to find a way to recognize the Biafra day as indelible part of Nigeria’s history instead of “futile attempts to suppress the day or clamp down on those observing it.”

The IWA President said contrary to misconceptions and propaganda by the Federal Government, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are not the architects of insecurity in the South East but criminal elements sponsored by enemies of Ndigbo.

IWA disagreed with the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, that IPOB is behind the insecurity in the South East, arguing that “criminal elements sponsored by Igbo enemies” are masterminds of the unrest in the zone.

She demanded an apology from Nigeria for the Igbo who she said were unjustly treated. Her words:

“We have done a lot of research and discovered that the civil war was avoidable. The false narration that the 1966 coup was Igbo coup as recently confirmed by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, has not been addressed. Why can’t Nigeria apologize to Ndigbo for the false accusation which led to the avoidable civil war?”

The women told Gowon that “no amount of prayers can bring true healing and reconciliation without genuine apologies to pacify the spirits of the war casualties.

“Why is it that 56 years after the civil war, the shadow of the war and the blood of innocent Igbo shed during the pogrom are still haunting Nigeria? Instead of learning their lessons and apologizing, Nigeria is still harassing those remembering their loved ones who died in the war. We cannot stop talking of the war. Even the unborn generation will hear of it,” she added.

The women, therefore, called for the release of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu which they said will serve as part of the healing process. (Sunday Sun)