Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Igbos has rejected the blockage of onions shipment to the South East.
The President of Onions Dealers Association in Imo State, Halilu Muhammad said that the association stopped the movement of the produce until further notice.
He added that members of the association lost over N13 million recently when the trucks heading to the region were seized by gunmen.
Muhammed also revealed that the entire consignment of two truck loads of the produce were thereafter sold at N9,000 per bag instead of N15,000.
In his reaction, the Secretary-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Okechukwu Isiguzoro said the blockage of the transportation of onions to the region is a conspiracy not only aimed at destabilising the region but a weapon of hunger against the people..
He added that the East will never suspend the movement of palm oil to the North.
Isiguzoro revealed that the insecurities ravaging the region are caused by a northern cabal that seeks to deny Ndigbo access to their rightful position in the country.
He said South Easterners will always let peace reign and not stoop low to cause civil disobedience.
According to him, “We have observed that all the things happening to South-East are well-coordinated attacks by a cartel that wants to destabilise South-East for economic and political reasons.
“First, you hear the National Chairman of Arewa telling the northerners to leave the South-East that the region is no longer safe for them. You have also seen the American embassy warning the people of southern Nigeria that northern bandits and Boko Haram are moving to the South to destabilise the South, particularly the South-East.
“You have seen President Muhammadu Buhari threatening to unleash the war experience against the Igbos. And currently, we can see the perishable goods. They have done it before and they are using hunger as a strategy to ensure that the South-East does not keep up the political aspiration for 2023.
“All these are the handiwork of northern cartel aimed at denying Igbos their rightful position in Nigeria and pushing them to civil disobedience that will lead to another civil war but the South-East will overcome all these evil conspiracies.
”Igbos are known all over the world as emergency experts that can handle any delicate situation and turn it into a gold mine.
“Ohanaeze will not instigate the blockage of palm oil to the North because Igbos have over N22 trillion worth of investments and property in the 19 northern states and whatever has been happening, including the (Ahmed) Gulak assassination is to prompt the repeat of 1966 massacre but we will resist them this time around.
“We are calling on those who are behind these to stop before it is too late, whether they block onions or do not block onions to the South-East, we will overcome this conspiracy.”