Biafra tension: Arewa youths insist that Igbos must leave the north
- As a follow up to their first controversial statement against the Igbos, the northern youths have reiterated that the south-easterners must leave the north
- The northern youths say the exit of the Igbos from the north, is the only solution to the agitation for Biafra
- The threat made to the Igbos have been frowned at by Governors of the northern region
- Nigeria's Federal Government has said every citizen has a right to dwell wherever they choose
The coalition of Northern Youths have insisted that Igbos must leave the north for peace to reign.
Arewa, the platform under which the northern youths gathered, had earlier given Igbos three months quit notice to leave the north
The group insists thathas insisted that the only peaceful resolution to end the current agitation for the state of Biafra is to allow the Igbos to go.
This was even as they implored the Federal government and the international community to plan for referendum that would effect their call.
This was contained in a statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna and signed by the spokesman for the coalition, Alh Abdulazeez Suleiman on Thursday, June 8.
The statement noted: "It should be recalled that on Tuesday June 6, 2017 this coalition led several other northern groups to review the position of the North in the wake of the widening and escalating movement for secession orchestrated by groups in Eastern Nigeria.
"At the end, we came up with a position paper which we presented as the Kaduna Declaration in which we primarily called on the authorities and the international community to step in to formalize the actualization of the dream of a people who say in words and in action, and the whole nation appears to concur, that they are Biafrans not Nigerians.
"We further urged those Biafran nationales to relocate from the North to their newfound country in order to allow other people have peace.
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"We are today compelled to make this further statement to clarify our stand on some issues that trailed the Kaduna Declaration made on Tuesday June 6, 2017.
The statement observed that, ‘After meeting to review the fallout of that Tuesday’s Declaration, our groups have arrived at the following fundamental observations:
‘That some elements have for reasons best known to them, mischievously distorted the intent of our original script by alluding such words as violence, threat, war and mass action to it”
“We find this mischievous because as cultured thoroughbred Northerners we have never anywhere and at any time, under whatever circumstances, called anybody to violence as a means of conflict resolution.”
“In strict observance of that tradition we never employ violence as a means of pursuing our interest and at every opportunity, we opt for peaceful engagements and implore people to eschew violence in all its ramifications.”
‘This informs why, a majority of discerning Nigerians, not necessarily northerners alone, understood and identified with our express call for the Biafrans to be allowed to actualize their long-held secessionist aspiration.”
To this end, the statement reiterated that “We restate that we have never called anybody to violence and that people should discountenance the elements of fear and threat introduced by the distortions of merchants of mischief.”
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“We wholeheartedly endorse the moves made variously by our leaders to allay those fears and urge people to be peaceful and law-abiding while at the same time resolutely insisting on having the right thing done by allowing the Igbo to have and move to their dream country in accordance with the universal fundamental right to self-determination.”
“We restate our determination and commitment to ensuring that the North will never partake in any contrived arrangement that would still have the Biafran Igbo as a component.”
“We reiterate our call on Nigerian authorities and recognized international bodies such as the ECOWAS, AU and UN to hasten the initiation of the process for the final actualization of the Biafran nation and with it the excision of the Igbos out of the present federation.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has ordered the Commissioner of Police (CP) in Kaduna State to investigate and arrest members of the Coalition of Northern Youths for issuing ultimatum to South Easterners living in the North.
The Coalition of Northern Youths on June 6, at a news conference in Kaduna, gave a three-month ultimatum to South Easterners living in the North to leave.
Police IG has ordered a complete investigation and arrest of those behind the threat against Igbo people residing in the northern part of Nigeria It had also ordered Northerners living in the South Eastern part of the country to return to the North.
The group attributed the ultimatum to the constant agitation by the Igbo ethnic group to have their own independent country.
Also, Gov. Nasir El’ Rufai of Kaduna State had ordered the investigation, arrest and prosecution of the signatories to the communique issued at the end of the coalition of northern youth news conference.
The I-G gave the order at a meeting with Commissioners of Police and other high ranking officers on Thursday in Abuja.
He warned that no individual or group of persons had the right to ask any individual to leave his or her place of residence in any part of the country.
He ordered other state commissioners of police in the North and Assistant Inspectors -General of Police in the various zonal commands to do same.
In a similar vein, the governors of the south east held an emergency session following the issuance of a quit notice by northern youths to Igbos in the north.
The youths had called on Igbos in the north to vacate their land in 90 days on Tuesday, June 6 which stirred nationwide condemnation.
Vanguard reports that south east governors held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, June 7 to address the issue. Chief Nnia Nwodo who is the president-general of the Ohaneze Ndigbo made this revelation during a night of tributes in honour of the late Ohanaeze chieftain and veteran Biafra soldier, Prof. Ben Obumselu.
Nwodo said it was the intervention of Governor Nasir El-Rufai that stopped the south east governors from sending luxurious buses and trucks to the north to evacuate the Igbos there.
He applauded El-Rufai for ordering the arrest of the youths whom he said were fanning the ember of war. Meanwhile, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum expressed disappointment over Governor Nasiru El-Rufai’s statement condemning them and ordering for their arrest.
Below is a NAIJ.com video in which Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, addresses the issue of Biafra.