By Amara Agha, Abakaliki
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned a recent report by The New York Times, describing it as misleading, inflammatory and capable of stoking ethnic tension in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and Chief Chinyereze Ohia, the organisation’s National Spokesman,Ohanaeze rejected claims allegedly contained in the report that an Igbo trader from Onitsha played a role in providing intelligence that led to recent United States airstrikes on ISIS-linked targets in Sokoto State.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo unequivocally states that the Igbo are not, and have never been, intelligence providers to the United States or any foreign power in relation to counterterrorism operations in Nigeria,” the group said.
While commending security cooperation between the administration of US President Donald Trump and the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ohanaeze stressed that attempts to link the Igbo to such operations were dangerous and irresponsible.
The group said the portrayal of an Igbo “screwdriver seller” as a key intelligence source mirrors what it described as the anti-Igbo propaganda campaign of 1966, which fueled ethnic violence and pogroms against the Igbo.
“The narrative being promoted by the New York Times dangerously echoes the false ‘Igbo coup’ narrative that preceded the genocide of our people,” the statement said.
Ohanaeze expressed concern that the report could expose Igbo residents in Northern Nigeria to reprisals, warning that such reporting risks reviving old fault lines in the country.
Describing the report as “absurd and insulting,” the organisation questioned the motive behind singling out an Igbo individual, noting that advocacy on Christian persecution in Nigeria has been driven by diverse groups across ethnic and religious lines.
“Ohanaeze is not opposed to international collaboration against terrorism,” the statement said, “but we are firmly opposed to the resurrection of anti-Igbo scapegoating under any guise.”
The group further alleged that foreign lobbyists may be influencing international media narratives about Nigeria and urged global media organisations to exercise restraint and responsibility.
Ohanaeze demanded an immediate retraction of the report and a public apology from The New York Times, warning that the publication would be held accountable for any consequences arising from the story.
