By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Igbo Community Association (ICA), Federal Capital Territory chapter, has called on the people of the South-East to build stronger alliances with the Middle Belt and other affected regions in the fight against marginalisation, insecurity and what it described as systemic injustices across Nigeria.

The call followed concerns raised by the association after a visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja last year.

In a statement signed by its President-General, Engr. (Nze) Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, ICA FCT said Kanu had expressed concern during their discussion over what the group described as the growing silence of prominent voices on issues affecting the South-East.

According to the association, the discussion focused on the plight of Igbo people within Nigeria and the need for stronger advocacy against perceived injustice, marginalisation and insecurity.

“During our discussion on the plight of the Igbo man and woman within the Nigerian state, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu lamented the apparent void in vocal, uncompromised advocacy. Since his detention, key voices and defenders of the South East have largely gone quiet,”** the statement said.

The group expressed concern that, in its view, some prominent leaders had chosen political considerations over speaking out against injustices and socio-economic marginalisation affecting the region.

“It is deeply troubling that many prominent leaders have chosen to prioritise personal political favour with the administration over speaking out against the injustices and socio-economic marginalisation meted out against our people. Silence in the face of oppression is complicity,” ICA FCT said.

The association insisted that the South-East needed leadership that would place the rights, dignity and security of citizens above political convenience.

However, it said the struggle against marginalisation should not be limited to the South-East, calling for cooperation among communities and regions facing insecurity and other forms of perceived injustice.

ICA FCT particularly expressed concern over killings, violence and alleged land-related conflicts affecting vulnerable communities in parts of the Middle Belt and North-West.

“The fight against marginalisation must not be waged in isolation. There is an urgent, imperative need for all marginalised groups and impacted regions across Nigeria to bind together and push back against systemic injustices,” the association said.

It added that the South-East should join forces with the Middle Belt and other affected regions to build what it described as a united front.

“Together, we must demand an immediate end to senseless killings, unlawful land occupations, and the institutional neglect of minority and marginalised groups. Nigeria can only progress when justice, equity, and absolute security are guaranteed for every citizen, regardless of tribe or region,” the group stated.

ICA FCT said inter-regional solidarity was necessary to confront insecurity and ensure that the concerns of minority and marginalised communities received greater national attention.

The association urged Nigerians across ethnic and regional lines to work together in demanding justice, equity and improved security for communities affected by violence and other forms of injustice.