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The new Asagba of Asaba, Obi Epiphany Azinge, has called on the federal government, as a matter of urgency, to give the town a Federal University as compensation for the Asaba massacre.
Azinge described the October 7, 1967, Asaba massacre as a heinous crime against humanity.
The monarch made the demand on Sunday at the 2024 Asaba Memorial Day Celebrations, an annual event set aside in memory and remembrance of victims of the 1967 Asaba massacre.
He said, “The painful event of October 7, 1967, would forever remain indelible in the hearts of the people of Asaba. There can never be a justification for the unwarranted killings.
“We demand from Federal Government to us Asaba federal university to compensate us for heinous crime against humanity done to us.
“The Nigerian army massacred over one thousand people of Asaba in the heat of the civil war. The victims were innocent and unarmed family people.
“It is 57 years now the 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 57 years, we still will never forget the atrocities of the Nigerian army against our people.”
Azinge said it was needless to quantify the massacre and that the establishment of a federal university in Asaba would be compensation for what he described as the brutal killing of their loved ones.
The event which was held at the Ogwa-Ukwu, marked the first official public function of Obi Azinge, who was crowned the 14th Asagba of Asaba last Saturday.
In a welcome remark, the chairman of the Asaba Memorial and Monument annual event, Chuck Nduka-Eze, said the annual remembrance event was symbolic to the people of Asaba.
He said that though the people of Asaba were yet to receive official apologies for the massacre of the innocent indigenes, the army delegation that visited the Asagba palace a few weeks ago promised to go into dialogue with a view to pacifying those whose loved ones paid the supreme sacrifice during the civil war.
“We are here today to remember and honour the spirits of our people who were massacred by the Nigerian 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.
“I want to enjoin the people of Asaba both at home and in the 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 includes the planting of one thousand threes across Asaba.
