Fulani herdsmen killings: Coalition calls for Buhari’s impeachment

The wanton killings across Nigeria by Fulani herdsmen has continued to attract condemnation across the country. The Igbo Civil Society Coalition (ICSCO) at a workshop in Enugu at the week end joined the league of stakeholders of goodwill in the Nigerian project to condemn the massacre of innocent citizens in North Central and other parts of the country and the unwillingness of President Muhammadu Buhari to issue firm directives to the security operatives to end the killings by his kinsmen.. The Igbo Coalition, accordingly, called on the National Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against President Buhari.

Professor Obasi Igwe, National Chairman, ICSCO, and    Dr. C. Jasper Uche, Chairman, Political Action Committee of  ICSCO, in a joint statement, indicated that communique issued at the end of a one-day colloquium on The Igbo Question: Restructuring or Self-determination?, organized by the Igbo Civil Society Coalition (ICSCO) on Friday 29^th June, 2018 at Hotel Codial Exclusive, New Haven, Enugu, Coalition reviewed the persistent calls for the restructuring of the Nigerian state, including the  Ekwueme Square Declaration facilitated by Ohaneze Ndigbo, as well as agitation to breakaway from Nigeria by some Igbo groups, and the absence of response to these demands and protests.

The Coalition condemned the harassment of Senator Abaribe Enyinnya by the APC government. They, thereafter, commended the cooperation of leaders in the South and Middle Belt in their joint struggles for true federalism in Nigeria.

They indicated that the colloquium was attended by a cross section of prominent Ndigbo among whom include Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, Chairman of the Symposium; Professor Mark Anikpo, Guest Lecturer; Professor Aloysius Okolie, President, National Association Political Science; Professor Obassi Igwe, Chief Host and National Leader of ICSCO; Comrade Uchenna Madu, Leader of MASSOB and coalition of pro-Biafran movements; Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo,Representative of Alaigbo Development Foundation; Ven. Kenneth Ugwuagu, Representative . of Archbishop of Anglican Communion, Enugu Province; among others.

They declared that aligning with the demands of other groups, he Colloquium resolved as follows:

(1) That since President Buhari has consistently failed to secure Nigerian citizens and provide for their welfare, the National Assembly is urged to commence impeachment proceedings against him for the gross abuse of oath of office.  Nigerians should also be prepared to vote him out in 2019 if the federal legislature shirks this constitutional responsibility.

(2) That President Buhari should immediately restructure Nigeria before the 2019 general elections or give way for a government of national unity that will carry out the restructuring and secure the entire nation.

(3) That Ndigbo will only accept restructuring on the basis of national question.

(4) That since restructuring will bring about justice and devolution of power from the centre to the federating units, all groups agitating for self-determination should join the robust campaigns for the immediate restructuring of the country.

(5) That the emerging unity among the ethnic nationalities in the South and the Middle Belt is commended. We, therefore, enjoin the leaders of these regions to commence mass and grassroots education, sensitization and mobilization of the peoples of these regions and to reach out to the oppressed peoples of the other regions towards the actualization of the dreams of the majority of Nigerians come 2019.

(6) The Colloquium commends the on-going efforts to unite all pro-self-determination groups in Igbo land, and urges them to restrain from attacking Igbo elders and leaders in the interest of this struggle.

(7) That civil society bodies and the political class with bias for Igbo emancipation should periodically organize educative programmes with ideological content for, and to properly direct the pro-self-determination movements.

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(8)  That federal and state governments should constructively engage all self-determination groups, with a view to addressing their grievances rather than resort to clampdown.

(9) That the harassment and illegal detention of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and other Igbo leaders by the APC led federal government is strongly condemned. The Colloquium warns the terror government to stop further victimization and torturing of Igbo patriots who voice out against the impunity of the government against Ndiigbo.

10)That the plan by the federal  government to unilaterally distribute the returned $322 million Abacha loot without recourse to appropriation and other tiers of government is totally rejected. State governments, local governments and opposition political parties are enjoined to  seek legal and other lawful actions to stop the self-promotional build-up by the APC government for the 2019 general elections, and

11)That the sponsored killings and ethnic cleansing by armed herdsmen across the country is condemned in strongest terms. We join other patriotic calls for the overhauling of the nation’s security architecture and making the perpetrators of these heinous crimes account for their wicked misdeed.