The apex Igbo socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called for a full apology and immediate retraction from the New York Times following a report linked to United States military operations in Nigeria.
The organisation stated emphatically that the Igbo nation has no involvement whatsoever in President Donald Trump’s anti-terror campaign or in narratives surrounding alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.
While acknowledging and appreciating the existing cooperation between the United States government and the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ohanaeze said it was necessary to firmly clarify that no Igbo person supplied intelligence connected to the U.S. airstrike against ISIS terrorists in Sokoto on Christmas Day 2025.
Ohanaeze expressed deep concern over the timing and framing of the New York Times report, which insinuated that an Onitsha-based screwdriver trader identified as Emeka was responsible for passing intelligence to President Trump through U.S. channels.
This position was made known in a statement issued on Tuesday, the 20th of January, 2026, by the factional Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, alongside the National Spokesperson, Chief Chinyereze Ohia, and released to the media.
According to the organisation, the publication appears to be a deliberate move to associate Ndigbo with security actions targeting banditry and ISIS-linked activities in Northern Nigeria.
Ohanaeze further faulted the New York Times for allowing itself, as a globally respected media outlet, to be allegedly influenced by individuals such as Nigerian freelance photographer Taiwo Aina, thereby advancing what it described as a troubling anti-Igbo narrative.
“The assertion that a purported ‘screwdriver seller’ in Onitsha could be the architect behind U.S. military action is at once laughable and patently nonsensical.
“Such irresponsible reporting carries the risk of igniting ethnic rivalry and exacerbating tensions across Nigeria. Ndigbo will no longer serve as targets for scapegoating in narratives shaped by international media conspiracies reminiscent of the tumultuous period of 1966.”
Ohanaeze said it deemed it necessary to set the record straight with utmost seriousness, stressing that the Igbo people are not behind petitions or propaganda linked to claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria. While acknowledging that many Igbos have suffered from such violence, the group noted that several non-Igbo organisations, Northern-based churches, and diaspora pro-Christian and civil rights groups have also been vocal advocates against these atrocities.
“Why has the New York Times chosen to single out Emeka? What ulterior motives might be at play? Are U.S. lobbyists complicit in this narrative?
“It is crucial to state unequivocally that the Igbo people do not oppose the collaboration between the U.S. and Nigeria in combating terror groups, nor do we resist efforts aimed at improving Nigeria’s global image by U.S. lobbyists.
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“However, this anti-Igbo international media conspiracy must cease, irrespective of the parties involved or the consequences they may face.
“The echoes of the 1966 pogrom against the Igbo people remain vividly fresh in our collective memory.
“We are acutely aware of the roles played by certain reputable international media in wrongly designating the Nigerian coup of January 15, 1966, as an ‘Igbo coup,’ which subsequently incited the counter-coup of July 1966.”
The organisation warned that the storyline advanced by the New York Times appears to mirror that dangerous historical pattern, adding that since that period, the Igbo have repeatedly been unfairly portrayed as the root of Nigeria’s problems.
Ohanaeze also advised all Igbo civil rights organisations to suspend public commentary on security-related issues involving U.S.–Nigeria cooperation against ISIS and banditry until the dignity and integrity of the Igbo people are fully restored.