A factional leader of the Ohanaeze Youth Council has called on Igbo people to begin preparations to leave Nigeria, citing alleged marginalisation and insecurity.
The National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, made the call in a statement issued on Thursday.
Igboayaka said Ndigbo had “prolonged their suffering” in Nigeria and should “prepare mentally, politically and economically for an exit,” which he linked to a renewed push for self-determination.
He alleged that post-civil war policies amounted to continued punishment of the Igbo, accusing successive governments of failing to implement reconciliation and reconstruction programmes after 1970.
“The much-publicised reconciliation was never implemented in any part of Igboland,” he claimed, citing the policy that returned £20 to Igbo depositors after the war as economic dispossession.
Igboayaka also linked the resurgence of pro-Biafra movements to what he described as decades of injustice and exclusion against Ndigbo.
He criticised the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, describing it as illegal and urging President Bola Tinubu to order his release.
“The prolonged detention of Nnamdi Kanu exposes Nigeria’s selective application of the rule of law,” he said.
The OYC leader further described Nigeria as a “failed state,” blaming corruption and insecurity for worsening living conditions across the country.
He said the council would intensify campaigns in 2026 for a referendum or plebiscite on self-determination, arguing that such a process was guaranteed under international law.
Igboayaka called on Igbo youths to engage politically ahead of the 2027 elections, urging the election of leaders who would support a referendum agenda.
He also urged community leaders to take steps to protect lives and property in the South-East, though he did not provide details on how this would be done.
The Federal Government has not responded to the statement as of the time of filing this report.
Security agencies and the Presidency were yet to comment on the allegations and demands raised by the Ohanaeze Youth Council leader.