Ohanaeze Ndigbo has expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering payment of pensions to former police officers who served in the defunct Republic of Biafra.
In 2000, the Police officers were granted presidential pardon, under the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Wednesday revealed that about 162 of such retired police officers and 57 next of kin will be paid their arrears in the first phase which begins this month.
In reaction to the approval, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, said despite the development, the approval was justice long overdue, as some of the beneficiaries are dead.
He said: “It’s been 47 years since the war ended and many of the people who should benefit from then pension are dead already. That goes to show you how the South-East region has been marginalized, and that is why we are complaining.”