By CHARLES IWUOHA

Apex Igbo Socio-Cultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, to stop demarketing the South-East region before foreign investors.

Ohanaeze said it feels compelled to respond assertively to the lamentable misstatements made by Governor Soludo, who recently declared that 99.9% of the individuals engaged in criminal activities within the Southeast are of Igbo descent.

The pan lgbo group stated that such unfounded assertions are not only erroneous but also serve to inflict irreparable harm upon the reputation of our people, sending shockwaves of dismay throughout the Igbo Nation.

According to Ohanaeze, Governor Soludo’s claims are fundamentally flawed and represent a grave misrepresentation of reality, saying that nearly all of the terrorists and criminals operating in the region are Igbos, has inadvertently cast an unjust shadow over the entire Southeast, de-marketing our region before prospective foreign investors.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the factional Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Chief Thompson Ohia, noted that this egregious error, articulated during the recent Igbo USA Town-Hall Meetings, paints a dire picture of insecurity that endangers our Southeast economic viability and compromises the aspirations of our people.

Part of the statement read: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo takes this opportunity to vehemently refute these claims. The assertion that 99.9% of criminals in the Southeast are Igbos is categorically untrue. This clarification arises from a place of genuine concern for our communities and reflects a reality that has been obscured by the rampant leadership deficiencies and moral failings that have, unfortunately, become characteristic of many Southeast Governors.

"Rather than confronting the pressing issues of Southeast insecurity, these leaders have resorted to creating spurious narratives that shift the burden of failure onto the shoulders of the very Igbo constituents they are sworn to protect. This is an unacceptable dereliction of duty.

"The disappointment among Igbos regarding Governor Soludo’s statement is profound. Evidence overwhelmingly indicates that it is not our youth engaging in the violent criminal activities that have plagued our region. Instead, it is Fulani militias and other external aggressors who are orchestrating the killings and kidnappings.

"We must ask: Why did Governor Soludo neglect to mention the profound atrocities committed by these foreign Fulani militias? What purpose did he serve in stating that 99.9% of culprits apprehended are Igbos during a town-hall meeting millions of miles away in the United States of America?

"Moreover, the failure of the Southeast Governors to engage with President Tinubu, despite earlier commitments made during their Southeast Governors meeting in Enugu State on July 2, 2024, only exacerbates these issues of insecurity. Their promise to actively seek the release of Nnamdi Kanu as a means to quell tensions in the Southeast has gone unfulfilled, demonstrating a troubling trend of inaction that threatens our collective safety.”

Ohanaeze urged Southeast Governors to awaken from their complacency and embrace the collective indomitable spirit of the Igbo, adding that it is imperative that they establish Local government vigilante groups throughout the region.

It pointed to intelligence suggesting that, “following the horrific massacre of over 200 individuals by marauding Fulani herdsmen in Benue, similar actions may soon be aimed at our communities in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, and Abia states.

"The time to act is now; we must not allow our region to remain vulnerable to external threats that seek to terrorize innocent civilians in schools, markets, and public spaces,” Ohanaeze said.