Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has rejected the United States (US) military action in Nigeria for religious purposes, and instead advocated for the military action to facilitate an urgent referendum in Nigeria.

OYC President, Comrade Igboayaka Igboayaka, in a statement, on Wednesday, noted that the proposed US military action as announced by President Donald Trump, would be counterproductive in addressing Nigeria’s long-standing security issues which have resulted in the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria.

He said: “the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria appreciate the concern of the US regarding the deliberate killing of Christians in Nigeria, particularly in Eastern Nigeria and the Middle Belt. However, he advocated that military action should not be based on religious purposes, but rather to persuade the federal government to initiate an urgent referendum within a political framework.

“The Igbo people have no need for US military intervention on perceived religious grounds. Rather, the Ndigbo urgently requires a referendum in Nigeria. A referendum is currently the most pressing requirement for Nigeria. The crowning achievement of our era would be to drive Nigeria towards an eventual referendum.

“This perspective is not only shared by the OYC, but also by the emerging generation of Igbo extraction and Middle Belt various ethnic groups. A referendum is the sole factor that can resonate with the conscience of an Igbo individual or Christians in Nigeria rather than US military backing for religious reasons.”

He noted that the killings against Christians in Eastern Nigeria, particularly in the Southeast geopolitical zone took a swift dimension since 2015 when a Muslim President, the late Muhammadu Buhari, assumed office.

“It is on record that the federal government of Nigeria is using the pretext of countering the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a self-determination movement from Southeast Nigeria led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to conceal the deliberate killing of Christians, who make up approximately 95 per cent of IPOB members at the hands of federal government troops

“Last 10 years administration of Muslim Presidents in Nigeria, from Late President Buhari and currently President Bola Tinubu, thousands of Christians in the northern Nigeria, mostly Middle Belt and Southeast have been slaughtered by armed Fulani herdsmen, bandits, jihadist and the extra-judicial killings perpetuated by Nigeria Military troops in Southeast Nigeria. This is evidence of Christian genocide in Nigeria.”

He made reference to a report from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a prominent civil rights organization in Nigeria that revealed that in Southeast, from August 2015 to December 2020, top military commanders sent to Eastern Nigeria are Muslims, and they conspired and abducted, at least, 5, 000 Christians who are majorly members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

“Additionally, from 2015 to 2024, 46, 800 Christians were slaughtered collectively by Nigeria military troops, Fulani herdsmen and bandits. In Northern Nigeria and other parts from 2009- 2023, 52,250 Christians were slaughtered/killed, while those abducting without returning to their families from 2009- 2015 are 18,000 Christians. In a summary from 2009 to May 2023, 125,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria.”

He also made a reference to a reported incident that occurred in January 2017, in which Nigerian military troops deliberately killed 20 and injured over 70 peaceful protesters from the IPOB who were commemorating President Donald Trump’s victory.

“We respectfully request that President Trump consider commemorating a mass burial for the unarmed innocent Christian protesters of IPOB who were celebrating his victory and simultaneously call for the release of their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

He also made reference to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report which show that from May 2023 to April 2024, insecurity led to the killing of 614,373 Nigerians.

OYC urged President Trump to facilitate an end to Christian genocide by supporting Nigerian Christians in conducting a referendum within one year, thereby minimizing further casualties.

“We beckon on President Trump to know that Christians’ killings in Nigeria are driven by economic interests, territorial or land grabbing ambitions, ethnic cleansing, and political oligarchy system, utilizing Fulani herdsmen, bandits, and jihadists as a platform for destruction against Christians in Nigeria,” he said.

Comrade Igboayaka implored President Donald Trump to wield his authority as a Christian to deliver Christians in Africa, especially in Nigeria, from persecution, stressing that his inaction now may lead to his successors showing little interest in resolving the issue. (The Sun)