Igbo Ministers Commission condemns killing of Ondo traditional ruler, urge Yoruba to unite with Igbos against common enemy

By Peter Dansu 

Igbo clerics, under the umbrella of  Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission, have condemned the killing of an Ondo State monarch, Oba Kehinde Falodun.

Oba Falodun, the Alagamo of Agamo in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, was shot dead on Wednesday by gunmen who invaded his palace. 

Reacting to the development, the Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission, in a statement signed by Rev Tony Uzor Anthony, warned that the 'Jihad' Nnamdi Kanu foretold has spread to Yorubaland in the South-West.

The Igbo monarchs urged the Yoruba to to unite with the Igbos to fight a "common enemy".

The religious leaders expressed regrets that Nnamdi Kanu's warning about spread of Islamic jihad to the South ob Radio Biafra was ignored by the authorities and instead used as evidence to convict of terrorism.

"The concerned Igbo Ministers Commission expresses profound sorrow and outrage over the cold-blooded assassination of His Royal Majesty, Oba Kehinde Falodun, the Alagamo of Agamo Community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

"This respected traditional ruler was slaughtered in his own palace on February 18, 2026, by suspected Fulani terrorists (commonly referred to as bandits) who invaded his domain. Eyewitness accounts describe armed men speaking Hausa, operating in the exact pattern of the marauding Fulani jihadist elements that have terrorized communities across Nigeria for years. We extend our deepest condolences to the grieving family, the people of Agamo, the entire Ondo State, and the broader Yoruba nation. No community deserves such barbarity.

"Yet, as Concerned Igbo Ministers  who have sworn to defend life, liberty, and justice — we cannot remain silent on the preventable nature of this tragedy. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Supreme Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has for over a decade issued clear, prophetic warnings about the systematic Fulani jihadist agenda to overrun Nigeria, seize ancestral lands, and impose Fulanization through terror. Those warnings, broadcast on Radio Biafra and played in open court, were not “hate speech” — they were accurate intelligence ignored at Nigeria’s peril.

"The very judge who presided over Mazi Kanu’s case and handed him a life sentence on trumped-up terrorism and treason charges — Justice James Omotosho, an indigene of Ondo State — now watches these same Fulani terrorists strike at the heart of his own community. While IPOB and the global Igbo family mourn this loss, we must state plainly: had Justice Omotosho and Yoruba political leaders prioritized justice by facilitating the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, this monarch would likely still be alive today," the statement said. 

According to the clerics, Kanu's voice is the only force the truly terrifies the sponsors of the jihadists in government. 

"His continued illegal detention has emboldened these terrorists, allowing the jihad he repeatedly exposed to spread from the Middle Belt into the South-West. The blood of Oba Kehinde Falodun cries out from the ground in Ondo State — a direct consequence of the injustice meted out to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu," the clerics added. 

The Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the Sokoto Medium Correctional  facility, and an international investigation into the Fulani terrorist network operating with impunity across Nigeria.

The clerics also urged Yoruba leaders, including South-West governors and traditional rulers, to publicly join the call for Kanu’s freedom and end the dangerous narrative that positions Igbo people as their enemy.

They equally called on the United States government and the international community to exert diplomatic pressure on Nigeria to end this cycle of selective justice and state-sponsored insecurity.

"Concerned Igbo Ministers will not stand idly by while our kith and kin in Nigeria are hunted like animals. The time for political games is over. Release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu now — the security and survival of every Nigerian community, Yoruba, Igbo, and beyond, depends on it.

Biafra’s light will continue to expose darkness. Justice delayed is justice denied — but justice for Nnamdi Kanu is peace for Nigeria."

Only courage can save Igboland - Activists tell Igbo monarchs to speak with one voice

By Peter Dansu 

A coalition of pan-Igbo self determination groups have urged Igbo traditional rulers and political leaders to abandon complicity and speak out with courage against the marginalization and oppression of Igbos in the country.

In a joint statement on Friday, the self determination groups - American Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and Rising Sun Foundation — declared that only courage, and not cowardice, can save Igboland.

The statement was in reaction to the action of an Enugu State traditional ruler who openly asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately release leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu or return him to Kenya, where he was abducted before his extraction to Nigeria in 2021.

The traditional ruler, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State, 

made the demand during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on February 17.

"Bring this man (Nnamdi Kanu) out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London where they took him from.

“Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth," the monarch told the President.

In the statement jointly signed by Dr. Sylvester Onyia, AVID, Chief Evans Nwankwo, Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and Dr. Maxwell Dede, Rising Sun Foundation, the activists commended the monarch, Agubuzu, urging all traditional rulers in Igboland to emulate him. 

The statement read, "The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and Rising Sun Foundation—wish to send a clarion call to the conscience of Igboland.

"We unequivocally commend His Royal Majesty Eze Agubuzu of Enugu for his unflinching courage in telling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to his face what other Igbo traditional rulers have been too weak, too compromised, or too cowardly to say: Release Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately, or return him to Kenya.

"Let it be known that HRM Eze Lawrence Agubuzu and HRM Eze Chukwuemeka Eri are currently the only monarchs who have publicly understood the depth of the pain, injustice, and anguish inflicted upon our people by the illegal detention of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. While Fulani herder murderers are pampered, Yoruba agitators walk free, and the Nigerian state continues to show contempt for Igbo humanity, the majority of Igbo kings and chiefs—including the Obi of Onitsha and Eze Cletus Ilomuanya—remain silent. Their silence is complicity; their inaction is betrayal."

The activists declared that the crowns and titles of the traditional rulers are worthless if they cannot speak up and protect their subjects.

"We ask plainly: What are the titles and crowns of these so-called leaders worth if they cannot stand for the lives, liberty, and dignity of their own people? AlaIgbo cannot survive leaders who place personal comfort above collective justice.

"We therefore call on all Igbo traditional rulers to abandon cowardice, abandon complicity, and speak with one voice. The time for half-measures, whispers, and veiled statements is over. Step up boldly for Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, or step aside and make room for leaders who will. History will not forgive those who chose silence while our people suffered injustice.

"The courage of HRM Eze Agubuzu and HRM Eze Chukwuemeka Eri demonstrates that moral authority, not fear of Abuja, is what preserves a people’s dignity. Let all Igbo leaders take note: the era of self-serving silence is over. AlaIgbo demands justice, leadership, and courage—now," the statement added.

Lagride Deploys New Fleet Under $100m UBA-Backed ‘Drive To Own’ Scheme; Targets 3,500 Vehicles

BY JUMOKE OWOOLA

Lagride has deployed a new set of vehicles under its Drive To Own programme, marking a significant milestone in its plan to expand structured pathways from professional driving to long-term vehicle ownership for captains.

Drive To Own is a performance-led initiative designed to reward captains who consistently meet measurable standards, including service quality, safety, compliance, ride completion, customer feedback, and overall operational discipline on the platform. The programme is backed by a $100m facility from United Bank for Africa (UBA), supporting Lagride’s plan to scale responsibly with strong governance and clear accountability, with a target of deploying 3,500 vehicles as the programme expands.

Lagride’s Drive To Own $100m partnership with UBA was launched in December by Chief Diana Chen, Chairman of Lagride, and Oliver Alawuba, Group Managing Director and CEO of UBA. The programme is already delivering tangible outcomes as the rollout progresses.

Speaking at the event, Mildred Ekanem, Executive Director of Lagride, said the deployment reflects Lagride’s commitment to building sustainable livelihoods while improving service standards for customers across Lagos.

“Drive To Own is built on structure and measurable performance,” Ekanem said. “This deployment is proof that when captains commit to a standard, the platform will commit to them in return. With UBA as a key partner and a strong financial backbone behind the programme, we are building a credible ownership engine that strengthens service quality and expands opportunities for captains over time. Our ambition is clear: scale responsibly and reach a deployment target of 3,500 vehicles as the programme grows.”

Ekanem added that the programme’s approach is driven by verifiable performance records generated through Lagride’s rental framework, which provides consistency and accountability for both the platform and its financial partners.

“Access to finance at this scale requires trust and data,” she said. “The rental period created a disciplined operating framework that produced the performance history needed for this model to be supported with confidence.”

UBA described the partnership as a practical example of enterprise finance enabling asset ownership through responsible, trackable performance.

Babatunde Ajayi, Head of Business Banking at UBA, said, “UBA is proud to partner with Lagride on Drive To Own because it is a structured model with clear accountability. The $100m facility backing this programme reflects our confidence in a framework that combines performance data, governance, and a pathway to asset ownership. This programme reflects what banking should be in the modern African economy: practical, inclusive, responsible, and forward-looking. It shows that when institutions trust people, and people honour that trust, progress becomes inevitable. This is how finance should work—enabling real enterprise, supporting livelihoods, and scaling opportunity responsibly.”

One of the beneficiaries, Aminu Ganna, a Lagride captain, described the moment as a turning point for captains committed to building stable futures through the platform.

“This is bigger than receiving a car. It is proof that the work we do every day can lead to ownership,” Aminu Ganna said. “Drive To Own gives captains hope and a clear path forward. For those of us who take the standards seriously, this is the opportunity we have been waiting for.”

The Drive To Own deployment event brought together Lagride captains, UBA representatives, and members of the media, featuring programme remarks, the official deployment moment, and a media briefing outlining the standards and expectations that underpin Drive To Own.

Lagride reiterated that Drive To Own will remain strictly performance-led, with continued eligibility dependent on professionalism, safety, compliance, vehicle care, and reliability.