By Amos Tauna Northern Youths Council of Nigeria, NYCN, has expressed concerns on the alleged constant attacks against northerners, ...
By Amos Tauna
Northern Youths Council of Nigeria, NYCN, has expressed
concerns on the alleged constant attacks against northerners, especially the
recent attack in Sasha market of Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State
which led to loss of lives and destruction of property, advising northerners
not to take the risk of travelling to the South West for now.
A statement from its spokesman, Mock Kure, observed that,
“The attention of the Northern Youths Council of Nigeria has been drawn to the
ongoing Carnage against Northerners, particularly in Sasha Market of Akinyele
Local Government, Oyo State, South West Nigeria wherein so many lives were
either killed or injured, business premises and vehicles were burnt by Yoruba
hoodlums.
“We wish to condemn such an attack in the strongest terms
possible and call on security agents to arrest the perpetrators so as to serve
as deterrent to would be hoodlums.”
The Arewa youths noted that the hidden agenda to expel
northerners in that segment of the country started with the call on all
herdsmen (Not criminal elements) by the Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency,
Rotimi Akeredolu, to leave all State controlled Forests Reserves.
It explained that this led to the sudden emergence of one
Sunday Igboho, a well-known motor park tout as the Enforcer-In-Chief of the
hidden but now open agenda in faraway Oyo State.
The youths noted, “The eviction orders violate the
provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as
amended) which guarantees freedom of movement to all citizens and rights to own
movable and unmovable properties in any part of the country.”
The statement noted that in his effort to defend the laws of
the country, the Inspector General of Police gave instruction to his
subordinates in the region to arrest and bring the said Sunday to Abuja, saying
that the arm of the law has proven to be weak and helpless as the said wanted
person has been going about dishing out fresh quit notices to law-abiding
citizens and enforcing same in many States of the region.
“We believe strongly that the inability of the government at
all levels to tame the lawless wings of Sunday Igboho and his co-travellers has
led to the emergence of his variants, hence, the renewed attacks on settled
business people and many others that can’t speak Yoruba at Sasha Market,” the
statement explained.
The youth called on the federal government to declare Sunday
Igboho’s group a terrorist organization as he is not different from Boko Haram.
They called on the Northern Governor’s Forum under the
leadership of Barr Simon Bako Lalong to rally his colleagues to begin to
evacuate their brothers that are trapped in the Southwest and other troubled
spots in Southern Nigeria since the governments in those regions have proven to
be helpless or tacitly complicit in the ceaseless attacks ”on our people.”
The statement observed that the Northern Youths continue to
maintain maximum restraints despite the unjustifiable and unprovoked attacks on
their people pending when government would exhaust all its cards.
It enjoined the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
to mobilize resources to the market to ameliorate the sufferings of those who
lost their means of livelihood to the carnage.
The Arewa youths urged the federal government to adequately
compensate those who lost loved ones and property to the crisis.
The Arewa youths also enjoined Northerners to desist from
travelling to South West Nigeria as signals from the region remain awful,
pending when the government would prove that it is now safe to travel to that
region.
The statement urged Nigerians with conscience to condemn
such attacks and other planned attacks, saying that together, good shall
triumph over evil.
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