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The Igbo intelligentsia, operating under the umbrella of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), has called for immediate international intervention in Nigeria, particularly from the United States, citing an imminent threat of national collapse reminiscent of the political crises that preceded the civil war and the 1966 pogroms against the Igbo.
In a communique signed by ILT President Professor Elochukwu Amucheazi and Secretary Professor Jerry Chukwuokolo, the group warned of escalating killings, mass abductions, and terrorist control over territories, arguing that government inaction has brought the country to the brink.
“Nigeria has drifted dangerously toward full-scale collapse,” the group said, pointing to incidents including the killing of soldiers, abduction of military officers, kidnapping of 25 female students in Kebbi, and widespread attacks on Christian communities in the Middle Belt and South. They noted that 101 Christians were killed within 14 days in a recent report by Intersociety.
ILT called on the U.S. to pressure Nigerian leaders into long-delayed national restructuring, including returning security powers to states and regions as originally agreed under the 1967 Aburi Accord. The group emphasized that restructuring is the only way to prevent further descent into chaos.
The elders welcomed U.S. concern over Nigeria’s security situation and urged the deployment of policy tools such as the Global Magnitsky Act and Executive Order 13886 to freeze assets, block financial transactions, revoke visas, and sanction individuals sponsoring terrorism — measures they said could “choke the infrastructure of terror” without involving American troops.
On the recent life sentence handed to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, ILT condemned the judgment as “unjust, illegal, and politically motivated.” They cited earlier court rulings declaring his arrest unlawful, including a Kenyan court ruling against Kenya’s collaboration in his rendition, and demanded his immediate release, compensation, and rehabilitation.
The group further decried what it described as “genocidal profiling and economic strangulation” of Igbo businesses, linking it to anti-Igbo policies and Fulani expansionism. They insisted that the ideology of Biafra will persist as long as injustices against the Igbo continue.
ILT also urged the Nigerian government to initiate serious ethno-regional dialogue to address the root causes of extremism and agitation, and warned against efforts to scapegoat the Igbo for the nation’s crisis.
The group concluded with a stark warning: “The U.S. must not hesitate to intervene physically, including invading Nigeria to disperse the numerous bandits now harassing the nation. We cannot watch history repeat itself. We owe it to future generations to halt this slide into genocide and war.
