Southeast disregards IPOB’s burial advisory
Southeast disregards IPOB’s burial advisory
The Igbo are not complying with the recent advisory from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) asking them to go back to the old Igbo tradition of burying their dead within three days.
IPOB had in a statement on Wednesday blamed the present practice of delayed and expensive burials for some of the major problems facing the zone.
According to IPOB, the vogue of keeping dead bodies in the mortuary for months and even years was having dire effects on Igbo land and largely responsible for the present moral decadence and other vices.
It said it would work out a strategy to deal with the situation, and this could include “the shutdown of so many mortuaries littered all over our land”.
However, the Anambra State Government and the State Police Command yesterday claimed ignorance of the IPOB threat.
Contacted yesterday, Governor Charles Soludo, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, said he was not aware of the development.
He directed The Nation to the state Police Command whose spokesman, Ikenga Tochukwu, also said he had no information to that effect.
Some residents of the state asked IPOB to focus on their mission and allow the people run their family affairs the way they want.
Residents of Abia State held a similar view with human rights lawyer, Barrister Emperor Ogbonna, and Mr. Jonathan Okoro advising IPOB to restrict itself to its agitation and avoid delving into sensitive issues capable of pitting it against the people.
Mr. Okoro said: “All this while that IPOB says it is championing the interest of the Igbo, we have been obeying its orders. But this recent order will not succeed.”
Ogbonna said: “They don’t have the right to tell anyone how they choose to bury their dead once the burial is not inconsistent with any law.
“There is no way that IPOB can tell or mandate people to bury their dead within three days. That order cannot work.
“The other time, IPOB issued an order saying that from a particular time, people should no longer eat cow meat in Igbo land. Today, are people not eating cows? Have people stopped bringing cows here?
“The truth about it is that you cannot control an Igbo man.
“The Igbo man is independent minded, because he will not allow anyone to decide for him how he wants to live his life.
“The issue of Biafra agitation is what the IPOB has been doing.
“Let them concentrate on whatever that they are doing. I don’t think that they should delve into the lifestyle of the people, including how to bury their dead.
“IPOB doesn’t run businesses for people. People use the money that they made through mortuary business to take care of their families, train their children and meet other family needs.
“How can they say that they are closing mortuary business in Igbo land? Is there any law in Igbo land or Nigeria that makes mortuary business illegal? The answer is no.
“So, telling somebody to close mortuary business because of whatever that you think about yourself is actually going too far.”
(Nation)
