The Igbo National Union World-Wide (INU-W) has strongly condemned the alleged brutal murder of a female Igbo trader, Blessing Eze, at Ifo Market in Ogun State.
According to reports, Eze was fatally stabbed in the chest by a group of armed individuals after reportedly refusing to pay an alleged N1,500 levy imposed on traders in the market in connection with a Muslim festival. The group claims the levy was illegal and discriminatory, targeting non-Muslim traders in a secular marketplace.
In a statement issued by its National Spokesperson, Ngozi Ogbomor, INU-W decried what it described as a senseless and targeted act of violence. The organization expressed deep concern over what it views as an emerging pattern of hostility toward the Igbo ethnic group and called for urgent government intervention.
“This daylight murder of an innocent woman further reinforces the perception that Igbo lives are increasingly treated with disregard,” the statement read. “The imposition of a religious levy in a public market—without consideration for the diverse faiths of traders—is unacceptable and unlawful.”
The group criticized the Ogun State Government and relevant security agencies for what it described as a deafening silence and inaction over the incident. It demanded immediate investigation, arrest of the perpetrators, and swift justice to deter future occurrences.
“We are issuing a seven-day ultimatum to the Ogun State Government to act decisively. Failure to do so will leave us with no option but to explore all lawful means to ensure that Blessing Eze’s death does not go unpunished,” Ogbomor warned.
INU-W also urged the broader public and civil society to speak out against what it termed a dangerous precedent of religious intolerance and ethnic profiling in commercial spaces.
