The Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof.) Epiphany Azinge has described the Oct. 7, 1967 Asaba massacre by the Nigerian military as a war crime and crime against humanity.
The monarch spoke on Sunday at the 2024 Asaba Memorial Day Celebration, in memory of the victims of the 1967 Asaba massacre.
Azinge, who lauded the contributions and efforts of notable sons of Asaba towards making the annual event a success, decried the injustice and untold hardship suffered by families in Asaba as a result of the massacre.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Military was said to have massacred over 1,000 unarmed people of Asaba at the beginning of Nigeria’s civil war in 1967.
The event held at the Ogwa-Ukwu Ahaba, the community town hall, also marked the first official public function of Obi Azinge, who was crowned the 14th Asagba of Asaba on Saturday, October 5.
The monarch, who lauded the sacrifices for, and commitment of the people of Asaba to, the rapid growth and development of the ancient town, said there could never be a justified reason for the 1967 massacre.
He said the painful event of October 7, 1967 would forever remain indelible in the hearts of the people of Asaba, adding that there could never be a justified reason for the unwarranted killings.
According to him, the Nigeria Army massacred over 1,000 people of Asaba in the heat of the civil war.
”The victims were innocent and unarmed family people. It is 57 years now, when men and youths of Asaba were massacred in the most gruesome manner. It is a tragedy that we can never forget.
“All over the world, the killing of innocent and defenceless people is a serious crime against humanity.
“Even if we forgive, we can never forget and even in the next fifty-seven years, we still will never forget the atrocities of the Nigeria military against our people,” Azinge said.
He called on all sons and daughters of Asaba to rally round and form a common front to promote and propagate the rich culture, traditions and hospitality of the Asaba people.
The monarch prayed to God to give the people of Asaba the fortitude to bear the loss of their beloved family members cut down in the most brutal manner.
Earlier in a welcome remark, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze, the chairman of the Asaba Memorial and Monument Group, organisers of the annual event, said the annual remembrance event is symbolic to the people of Asaba.
“We are here today to remember and honour the spirits of our people who were massacred by the Nigeria Army in 1967.
“This occasion is something very dear to all families in Asaba. It is an event that binds us together because it is a matter of the blood of our people.
“This journey that has brought us here today started in 1998. It is a very significant event in the history of Asaba.
“I want to enjoin the people of Asaba both at home and in diaspora to rally support for the actualisation of the projects initiated in memory of the victims of the massacre” he said.
Nduka-Eze, who holds the traditional title of the Isama-Ajie of Asaba, disclosed that part of the activities lined up to mark the annual Remembrance Day, included the planting of 1000 trees across Asaba.
He also listed the launching of the Asaba Monument Hall, two projects, he said were initiated for the memory and remembrance of the victims of the 1967 Asaba massacre.
