Let Igbo secede if it’s their wish, we can’t afford another war – Northern Elders

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has expressed that the Igbo should be allowed to secede from Nigeria if it will curtail the chances of war in the country.

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesman of the forum, said this while addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting held in Abuja on Monday.

He said the agitation by the Igbo for secession has become widespread, adding that the leaders in the state appear to support the decision.

Baba-Ahmed noted that standing in the way of the agitators will only worsen the insecurity in the country.

“This nation has had to fight a terrible war to preserve the country. The north had paid its dues in that war, as indeed it did in many ways throughout the history of the country. Under our current circumstances, no Nigerian should welcome another war to keep the country together,” he said.

“The forum has arrived at the difficult conclusion that if support for secession among the Igbo is as widespread as it is being made to look, and Igbo leadership appears to be in support of it, then the country should be advised not to stand in its way.

“It will not be the best choice for the Igbo or Nigerians to leave a country we have all toiled to build and a country we all have the responsibility to fix, but it will not help a country already burdened with failures on its knees to fight another war to keep the Igbo in Nigeria.”