Retired Archbishop of Enugu Anglican Diocese, Most Rev Prof Emmanuel Chukwuma has said that banditry is “God’s punishment for what the North did to Igbos.”

Chukwuma, who made the claim during an interview with Vanguard, stated that until Northerners apologize, banditry and killings won’t stop in the region. 

He said; 

“Gowon is very apologetic and that was why he started ‘Nigeria Praise’ and we have to commend him for that. That ‘Nigeria Praise’ was to revive the spirit of the people back from the Civil War and to reconcile people back to God and to go on with one Nigeria.

“Well, he has done it many times when he was doing ‘Nigeria Praise’; when he was moving around, he apologized but that’s not enough. The thing is that the Nigeria government should do that because the Nigeria Civil War dealt with us in Asaba, it was a real genocide and we’re asking for apology and more compensation as they do in other places. What is happening now in the whole of northern Nigeria – the banditry, kidnappings etc – is God’s punishment for what they did to us, yes! And until they apologize and ask for forgiveness, at no time will this banditry, kidnapping and killings stop. The blood of innocent people is crying and that’s what you are seeing there. So until they apologize and make some restitution, the banditry and mayhem you have in the North will not stop.”