Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has cautioned Nigerians in foreign lands to exercise some restraint in their attacks on Nigerian officials visiting foreign lands despite their annoyance over the state of affairs in the land.
The spokesman of Ohanaeze, Mazi Chuks Ibegbu, in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Aba, Abia State, asked the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, to see the purported attacks on him as part of the sacrifice for nation building, advising those in power to address the needs of the people to avoid such ugly incidents.
DAILY POST reported that Concerned Youths of Niger Delta (CYND) had given a seven-day ultimatum to Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to apologize to the Minister of Transportation, Chief Chibuike Amaechi, over the group’s recent attack on him in Madrid, Spain.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Amaechi was attacked by a group of IPOB members in Madrid, while attending a climate change conference in the country.
Confirming the incident, Amaechi said: “I was attacked by a few misguided Nigerians while on national assignment at a climate change event in Madrid, Spain. They were quickly repelled by the Spanish Police before they could do any harm. I am fine, I was not hurt. Thanks for your support and prayers”.
But, Ibegbu said, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo warns those threatening to destroy Igbo properties in the Niger Delta to desist from such as even Amaechi admitted the attack was by unknown Nigerians.
“Amaechi is an Igbo son and no matter the effort of some fifth columnists to put a wedge between us Igbos of South East and their brothers in the South-South are one and the same”.
Meanwhile, an Igbo group, Igbo Amaka, has frowned at the attack on the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi by some misguided Nigerians in Spain.
The spokesman of the group, Ekpekpe Nwagbara, in a statement on Monday, opined that the attack was not in the interest of Nigeria, urging the perpetrators to apologize to the Minister, as well turn a new leaf.
The group wondered why such attack should take place at this time, but called on the Niger Delta group that threatened to destroy Igbo properties in the Niger Delta over the matter to desist from such threat, as the attack in Spain was by unknown Nigerians as Amaechi also admitted.
It said, “Amaechi is a full-blooded Igbo man and anything that affects him is a matter of concern to Ndigbo. We want to also use this opportunity to call on Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi to site institutions similar to the Transport University in Daura, in Igbo land in general and Ikwerreland in particular. He should also ensure rehabilitation of the East-North rail line as he is doing for the West -North line with modern rail gauge.”
