Attack On Ekweremadu: Igbo group blasts IPOB, attackers

- The recent attack on a former deputy Senate president in Germany has been condemned by an Igbo group

- The group said there is a deliberate attempt by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its leadership to set up the Igbos

- According to the group, the order by the leader of the outlawed group to attack high profile Igbos and other Nigerians abroad is uncalled for

An Igbo group has described the attack on a former deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, by some suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a deliberate attempt to set up the Igbos.

The Igbo in Nigeria Movement (INM) also described the leader of the IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and his members as enemies of Ndigbo.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, August 25, the INM recent order by the leader of the outlawed group to attack high profile Igbos and other Nigerians abroad is uncalled for.

The INM said the attack on Ekweremadu in Germany should be the last as further attack on any other Nigerian would not be taken lightly with their families back at home .

The president of INM, Ifeanyi Igwe, said the attack resonate with the group for two reasons; first is that it took place in faraway Nuremberg, Germany and; secondly, because Senator Ekweremadu is not just Igbo but is also about the highest-ranking Igbo politically having occupied the position of deputy Senate president for twelve years.

Igwe further called on all Igbo politicians that nurtured Kanu and IPOB to caution the group on the use of violence to address issues.

"Today, IPOB is using threat of violence and actual violence to force these same politicians to continue supporting its terrorist stance. Kanu has not only abandoned them when it matters most, he has like a rabid dog turned on these people that now want to stop supporting IPOB as a terrorist organization," Igwe said.

Noting that the Igbos are known for being good ambassadors; at any point in time it should be in the best interest that they should be well represented in any part of the world.

He also urged the federal government should go one step further by compiling a list of those that identify as IPOB members and make same available to countries of the world so that such terrorists can be expelled from these countries before they further tarnish the Igbo heritage and Nigeria’s image.

"In the meantime, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has our support and solidarity. We are happy that he came out stronger after the attack and even described his attackers as drunkards and drug addicts, for no self-respecting Igbo man that is thriving abroad will engage in the despicable acts of the IPOB miscreants," Igwe added.