Onochie’s attacks on Igbo monarchs sacrilegious, odious, says Ohanaeze by Raphael Ede

National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia The apex Igbo sociocultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on the traditional ruler of Onitcha Olona in the Aniocha North council area of Delta State, Obi Christopher Uzu Diji, and the kingmakers of the community, to talk to the Senior Special Assistant to President, Major General Muhammad Buhari (retd.) on new media, Lauretta Onochie. It made the call in statement issued on Tuesday in responds to Onochie’s vituperation against Igbo traditional rulers and religious leaders for seeking the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra. Onochie had in a statement last weekend gave reasons why the president would not heed the appeal, saying that the demand for the release of a “lunatic is as annoying as it is insulting to the memory of those who have lost their lives in a needless blood-letting in the South East of Nigeria. These are political neonates who are also, ignorant of the laws of our land. Where is their sense of decency? Where is their shame? Where is the truth that Christianity preaches? When will truth be released from jail?” But, in the statement by its spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, Ohanaeze also called on the women wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Umuada Igbo to “the nefarious activities of Lauretta Onochie with a view to whipping her back to normalcy.” The Igbo group said for Onochie to descend on revered traditional rulers and Archbishops by using such words as “neonates, ignorant, lack of sense of decency, hide face in shame, stupidity, among others …is to say the least unreflective, odious, warped, despicable and sacrilegious.” Ohanaeze pointed out that the letter of appeal to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) by the Council of Traditional Rulers and the Archbishops was strong enough to attract the attention of President Buhari for a discussion with Igbo leaders on the way forward about Nnamdi Kanu and other security challenges in the Southeast. The organisation wondered why Onochie would make herself available for a hatchet job against the Igbo and assume the role of denigrating her kinsmen. The statement read in part, “Lauretta Onochie is from Onitcha Olona in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. The traditional ruler of her community is HRM Obi Christopher Diji. Onochie knows the reverence and honour that go with the titled men and traditional rulers in all the Igbo communities. Also, as a Christian, Onochie knows that the clergy men are the representatives of God here on earth. Therefore a letter jointly signed by the Igbo traditional rulers and the Archbishops should command the respect of even the most unscrupulous. It added, “The obnoxious role of denigrating one’s kinsmen to be fully ingratiated and assimilated in the other group is as old as mankind. However the entrepreneurs of betrayal have never ended well.” PUNCH