On Monday, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, operating globally, announced that it had officially reported a case of criminal impersonation to the police and other security agencies. The report concerned an individual named Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, who had been falsely presenting himself as the President of Ohanaeze Youth.
During a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) center in Owerri, Chukwuma Okpalazeukwu, the National General Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, clarified the stance of Ohanaeze Ndigbo regarding recently reported killings attributed to Igboayaka.
Okpalazeukwu vehemently denounced Igboayaka as an impostor and emphasized that his views did not represent the official position of Ohanaeze. He accused Igboayaka of being sponsored to create instability in Imo State, using the name Ohanaeze to disseminate defamatory stories against individuals.
In contrast, the Igbo group expressed their strong condemnation of any form of killing in the South-East region. Ohanaeze, as a collective body, assured that it has already taken steps to address the situation and is actively seeking lasting solutions.
According to Ohanaeze, “Distinguished members of the press, you are welcome to this world press conference organized by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing Worldwide. We are here in Owerri primarily to inform the Police and other security agencies in Imo State of the activities of some impostors who have been involved in criminal impersonation of Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Wing Worldwide, and to also dissociate ourselves from their unfounded publications in the last couple of months.
“We have successfully incidentally filed a case of impersonation against Igboayaka. O. Igboayaka and Ifeanyi Nweke, who before now have been falsely parading themselves as the national President and Secretary General of the Ohaneze Youth Council, respectively. We want to state categorically that there is nothing like Ohanaeze Youth Council; rather, we are the Leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing Worldwide.
“For the records, the present leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing Worldwide was duly elected on August 5, 2021, under the supervision of the National Executive Committee NEC of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, under the then Leadership of our revered late President General, Prof. George Obiozor, and Amb. Okey Emuchay as Secretary General.
“Therefore, Mr. Igboayaka and Co Publications do not represent the position(s) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing. Be that as it may, as a responsible and law-abiding organization, we took this course to preserve our sanctity and integrity, which the duo had attempted to compromise”.
On this note, we formally call on the appropriate Security Agencies to do the needful professionally.
“Let us make it clear that the Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Wing will never condone the extra-judicial execution of unarmed Igbo Youths anywhere, neither do we support nor align ourselves with any individual or group(s) that attempt to malign or disparage Gov. Hope Uzodinma or any other Leader by mere speculations or hearsay without due diligence. In the same vein, we will not support any criminal activities driven by either economic gain or political desperation; We will never allow Igboland to be turned into a theater of war by irresponsible actors who use our Youths to capture power,” Ohanaeze said.
It was their view that “We responsibly appreciate and acknowledge the unfortunate Security impasse in the South East, especially the renowned Oguta Carnage. We condemn in strong terms the remote and immediate causes of these Security challenges in these local communities, and we have, as a Matter of Urgency, swung into a fact-finding mission to set the records straight and proffer means to lasting Peace, Stability, and Security of Lives and Property in Ala Igbo and Nigeria at large.”
