The Organisation of Igbo Communities (OIC) has condemned the killing of 23-year-old Mmesoma Umeorini in Uga Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State and the reported killing of two Ebonyi State indigenes in alleged reprisal attacks.
The organisation also rejected calls for the expulsion of Ebonyi indigenes from Anambra warning that collective punishment could escalate tensions and threaten unity among Igbo communities.
In a statement signed by its President and Founder Mazi Chukwuemeka Major Ukason OIC called for thorough investigations into the killings and the prosecution of those found responsible.
It said Mmesoma’s rejection of a relationship could not justify her killing stressing that no personal disagreement or emotional grievance gave anyone the right to take another person’s life.
The organisation also condemned the reported killings of the two Ebonyi indigenes saying their families deserved justice and urging security agencies to arrest and investigate suspects.
‘Justice for Mmesoma must not become an excuse for injustice against innocent Ebonyi people’ the statement said adding that the killing of Ebonyi indigenes could not be justified as revenge for an earlier crime.
OIC described demands for the wholesale expulsion of Ebonyi people from Anambra as disproportionate and dangerous arguing that individuals should be held accountable for their actions rather than punished because of their state of origin.
It warned that adopting such measures across the South-East could undermine economic and social relationships among communities and deepen divisions within the region.
The organisation urged Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to intervene urgently through security and peace-building measures to prevent further killings threats and forced displacement.
It also called on the state government to protect all residents and make clear that individuals not entire communities bear criminal responsibility.
OIC urged traditional rulers community leaders youth groups women’s organisations and security agencies to work to de-escalate tensions.
It appealed to aggrieved Uga residents to seek justice through lawful channels and urged Ebonyi State residents to remain calm and resist retaliation.
The statement warned that the killings and calls for reprisals could develop into a wider inter-state and inter-community crisis if not urgently addressed.
‘We can demand justice without seeking revenge; we can mourn our dead without threatening the innocent; and we can condemn crime without condemning an entire people’ it said.
OIC reaffirmed its support for justice for Mmesoma and the two Ebonyi indigenes calling for the protection of innocent residents and the prosecution of those found culpable.
It urged the authorities to act swiftly to prevent further violence and preserve peaceful coexistence among communities in the South-East.