Elections : Igbos flee North

Despite pleas by Igbo leaders and
Ohanaeze Ndigbo , to the Igbo in other
parts of the country , especially in the
North , to vote where they live, some
have relocated to the Southeast .
Yesterday , hundreds of women and
children in the North returned to Owerri,
the Imo State capital, following fears of
post -election violence .
Some of the returnees, who were seen at
the ABC terminus , said they would stay
until after the elections before returning
to the North, adding that they
abandoned their businesses for fear of
crisis.
One of the returnees from Kano State,
Mrs. Mary Ikeagwuna, a widow and a
mother of three , said she returned with
her children, following her experience in
2011 when the Igbo were killed .
She said more people would return to
their states , especially women and
children , adding that tension was
mounting ahead of the elections.
Mrs. Ikeagwuna said she registered her
children in schools in Owerri before
returning , to ensure their studies were
not disrupted. Her words : “I don’ t know
what will happen after the elections. I
thought it wise to return with my
children . I’ m a widow , they are all I
have .”
Mr . John Odinachi, another returnee
from Kano, said : “ The country may
disintegrate after the elections.
“ The northerners are known for killing
innocent people at the slightest
provocation . I advise the Igbo in the
North to return to the East and go back
to their base after the elections.”
A returnee from Borno State, who
simply identified himself as Nwabueze ,
advised Ndigbo in the North to return to
their states , adding that some of those
who refused to flee at the peak of the
Boko Haram insurgency were killed.
Nwabueze , who also recalled the
killings of members of the National
Youth Service Corps ( NYSC) in Bauchi
State during the 2011 elections, urged
the evacuation of corps members in the
North , to avoid a recurrence.