Crises looms in Kano Igbo community
By UMORU IBRAHIM

THE crisis that engulfed the leadership of Igbo community in Kano state for sometime took an alarming dimension last Friday when a group of able-bodied- young men and women who described themselves as representatives of Igbo Students Nationwide threatened to carry out mob action against Dr. Boniface Ibekwe, the leader of Igbo community association in Kano.
In a press conference addressed by Chief Igwe Martius, the national publicity Secretary of Confederation of Igbo Students said that having failed through rational and legal means to convince Ibekwe to give peace a chance, the students will have no alternative than to take irrational action through mob action.
Explaining further, Chief Martins said, “we students thanked the government for appointing a worthy Igbo son into the cabinet. We disown in entirety, any statement disowning of Hon. Chuks Azuka. Any attempt of such must be faced with negative reaction which its consequences many be better imagined than experienced”.
Chief Martins flanked by other members of the executive, stated that after rational appraisal of activities of what he described as a dissolved Igbo community leader and their constant castigation of Kano state government and Nigeria police command, they found it necessary to make their position clear to Nigerians.
“We declare our solidarity to the dissolution of the leaders of Igbo Community Association (ICA), because for the past years, they have been the cause of intra-state and intra-community crises that has prolonged disunity among Igbos living in the state”, he stressed.
The press statement jointly signed by Nnamdi Mbakuike from BUK, Amas Ozurumba, vice president north-west and Chief Martins, called on Igbo people in Kano south-east, Governors as well as Nigerian police to probe the scholarship fund which they allegedly accuse the Ibekwe of mismanaging .
Reacting to the press conference, the ICA president, Dr. Boniface Ibekwe said he would not be happy to join issues with the people he described as so-called students”; stating that they are not an existing body.
He said the “so-called students” further justified their ignorance when they fail to tell the press the source of the scholarship fund, to whom it was given and the beneficiaries.
According to the embattled leader, the entire Igbo community is grateful to the government of Kano state for appointing an Ibo man into cabinet.
He, however, said their quarrel is the caliber of the appointee. Dr. Ibekwe is of the opinion that the Igbo special adviser to the governor, was far too young to understand the dynamics of politics of community affairs.
So as far we are concerned, the Igbo in Kano need an older, a more experienced man who understands the problems of our people and who will stand a better chance of advising the governor on how to address them”, he said.