The National Youth Leader Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Engr Damian Okafor, has called all the security agencies to speed up action by arresting peddlers of destructive news over the evacuation of the Igbo people from Jos, following the recent crisis that erupted the state.
Okafor made the call in a statement forwarded to NATIONAL PANEL on last Sunday.
He said that the attention of Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Wing has been drawn to the fake and unverified news flying on the cyberspace which the purveyors of such destructive, inciting, instigating and provoking statement was postulated thus; "Jos Crisis: Fulani men intersected on 2 luxurious bus conveying Igbo's home and set it on fire killing 230 Igbos."
Other postulations by the peddlers of the fake news, according to Okafor, also read: "Every Igbo man in Jos right now should avoid Jos express road and stay indoors, If possible run to a church or Army barrack.
"There is an ongoing meeting in Enugu right now by Ohanaeze on how to convey you, people, back home as soon as possible."
He, however, urged the security agencies especially the DSS should as a matter of urgency do the needful in tracking the peddlers of such destructive news without recourse to how highly placed the person (s) while calling for calm in Igbo land.
"My phone has also been inundated with calls from people all over the world both home and Abroad; not excluding the security agencies requesting that I state the true position of the matter. In lieu to that, I wish to state as follows:
"That I have been in touch with the Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Coordinators in all the Northern state of the Federation and they have affirmed that the news is fake and misleading.
"Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Wing has last week prevailed on the Governors in Igbo Land towards the safe evacuation of Ndigbo in the crisis ridden zone of the city of Jos.
"That our utmost appreciation goes to the Governors of Southeast who did not waste time to send delegation for the safe evacuation of Umu Igbo in Jos.
"That we have recorded enormous success in the evacuation of Ndigbo in Jos and the pictorial evidences are in the public domain.
"That it is challenging that most of the IGBOS who are still there are those that has refused to come back home; hence the very much reason we should preach one Nigeria.
"That the unfortunate inciting, instigating and provoking statement may be emanating from the kangaroo group of Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro who is a master in purveying fake news that is capable of setting the IGBOS up against the Northerners.
"That am not aware of any Ohaneze Ndigbo meeting going on in Enugu as alleged by the purveyors but if there is any such thing, it is Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and his Cohorts that is sponsoring such.
"That the security agencies especially the DSS should as a matter of urgency do the needful in tracking the peddlers of such destructive news without recourse to how highly placed the person (s) might be.
"While I call for calm in Igbo Land over such fake and unverified news, I wish to state categorically that the enemies of Ndigbo are 70 percent Ndigbo and 30 percent outsiders," Okafor said.
