Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has called on Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu to issue a formal apology for the atrocities committed against the Igbo people during the Nigeria-Biafra War and pay ₦10 trillion in reparations.
The group made the demand in response to a recent statement by former military ruler General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), who clarified that the January 1966 coup was not an “Igbo coup.”
Ohanaeze commended IBB’s acknowledgment, stating that it corrects a historical misconception that has fueled decades of marginalization against the Igbo people.
In a statement, the organization highlighted systemic injustices suffered by the Igbo since the war, including political exclusion, economic marginalization, and the closure of key infrastructure like the Calabar seaport.
The statement read, “In light of these grievous injustices, Ohanaeze Ndigbo reiterates our demands articulated during the 1999 Justice Oputa-led Judicial Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violation Panel.
“It is imperative that the current federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must confront the shadows of our historical traumas.
“We demand a public and unreserved apology from the President on behalf of past military regimes, particularly that of General Yakubu Gowon, who orchestrated unprovoked bombardments and shellings over Igbo territory during the Nigeria-Biafra War that resulted in immense human suffering and loss.
“Furthermore, we maintain our resolute stance that the Nigerian federal government must dispel the long-standing inequities perpetrated against the Igbo nation by paying reparations amounting to 10 trillion naira.
“This demand is not merely a demand for financial restitution or restitution; it is a necessary acknowledgment of the value of human lives lost and the cultural and infrastructural devastation endured by our people, which remains evident even 55 years post-conflict,” the statement added.
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