Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organization of the Igbo people, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to issue a formal apology for the devastation suffered by the Igbo during the Nigeria-Biafra War. The group is also demanding ₦10 trillion in reparations to compensate for the loss of lives and destruction of infrastructure in the region.
The renewed demand follows recent remarks by former military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), who clarified that the January 1966 coup was not an “Igbo coup”—a longstanding narrative that has fueled ethnic tensions.
Ohanaeze commended Babangida’s statement, describing it as a necessary correction of historical distortions that have contributed to the marginalization of the Southeast. The group also decried systemic discrimination against the region, citing political exclusion, economic neglect, and the closure of key infrastructures like the Calabar seaport.
“In response to these longstanding injustices, Ohanaeze Ndigbo reaffirms the demands we presented before the 1999 Justice Oputa-led Judicial Commission on Human Rights Violations,” the organization stated.
The group insisted that the federal government must acknowledge the past injustices of the military campaign led by General Yakubu Gowon, which resulted in immense casualties.
“We call on President Tinubu to offer an unequivocal and public apology on behalf of previous military regimes. The indiscriminate shelling and destruction inflicted on Igbo communities during the war must be acknowledged,” the statement read.
Ohanaeze further emphasized that the ₦10 trillion reparation demand is not just about financial compensation but a symbolic recognition of the suffering endured by the Igbo people.
“Even after 55 years, the scars of the conflict remain visible,” the group added, urging President Tinubu to take proactive steps toward national reconciliation through both an apology and compensation.
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