An Igbo Elder statesman, Ichie Agwoturumbe, has written the Leader of the Proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and open letter.
The letter dated March, 2020, says Ichie is from Enugu State and read thus:
Open Letter to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Ichie Agwoturumbe 1 of Nkanu, Enugu State.
“I don’t know how else to reach you, so I decided to use this platform to share my ordeal and I hope your supporters will share the information I am about to pass to you when they see it.
Our People say that “Nwata etoghi Eto chuba ihe gburu nnaya, ihe gburu nnaya egbukwuo ya n’onwe ya”. I need not translate, but you understand where I’m headed.
Ojukwu was led by emotions and not logic. He couldn’t see the real picture, because he allowed himself to be clouded by emotions and sycophants.
The main thing Ndi’Igbo need is not independence, but security of lives and property. We need a safe home to do business, worship Elohim and train our children.
Ojukwu was not prepared for the war on an international scale. He didn’t have the support of any African country before the war, and he didn’t bother. That cost us approximately 3 million Igbo lives. Ignoring African countries and even world powers are always deadly.
Ojukwu did not compromise. That’s foolishness. A wise man knows when to compromise for peace to reign. During the war he was offered independence if he left the South South (parts of Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom) but he refused. He ended up leaving with nothing.
He was told to allow Israel use the oil for free for 20 years, but he refused out of pride and emotions. Had he accepted help, he’d have won a great victory for our people.
Ojukwu would have accepted a Nigeria, but with a semi-autonomous South East and South South. This would have saved us the cost of human lives as well as the cost of living in subjugation. But he chose war over logic and was too adamant and proud to compromise. He failed and lost millions of lives in the process.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Nobody wants Biafra. We need freedom but not self determination. We just want peace and stability in our land. The path you’re taking is causing war and young men are losing their lives. Many have ended up in prison and even your parents have been casualties of this exercise in futility.
Look around you, there’s no one supporting you apart from the sycophants who surround you. No country, no government, no senator and no politician-in-power has declared support for this Biafra. Why don’t you drop this fight or change strategy?
I advise you stop fighting with Igbo elders. They are not the enemy. They just want to maintain the peace. Even Ojukwu ventured into politics because he realised that crying and protesting couldn’t bring succour to the Igbo race.
Drop your banners and join politics. Contest for governor and be the first to publicly support your movement. When called by the UN and International community due to your influence as a governor, accept a semi-autonomous Region with its own army and police.
If you can govern a semi-autonomous Region in honesty and integrity, nobody would have any issues giving you a Biafra. But if not, I’m sorry but you’d have to forget about this movement. For now, stop inciting our youths to violence.
I know your sycophants would attack me. They might burn my house and my shrine where I pray to Chukwuokikeabiama everyday. But I don’t mind. I’d speak the truth and fight the course of ndi Igbo till Chukwuokikeabiama calls me to Ala ndi mmuo.
I hope you read this letter and I enjoin everyone who reads this to share it till Ohamadike sees it and reads it.
Ndi Igbo, Ndewo Nu. E kuolam k’òsi dim n’ọ́nú.”

Destiny Ogbonaya