The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has ordered the arrest of those behind the three-month ‘quit notice’ given to Igbos to leave northern Nigeria.
The arrest follows an order by a coalition of northern youth groups on Tuesday, asking Igbos resident to vacate the region before October 1 or prepare to be forced to quit.
The order was contained in a resolution reached after a meeting of the groups in Kaduna State, North-West Nigeria.
Their order was premised on the shutdown of major towns in the south-eastern part of the country on May 30, by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and their sponsors.
One of the leaders of the coalition, Abdulazeez Suleiman, who read the statement on behalf of others said the region was “tired of the marriage”, hence the need for restructuring.
Reacting to the statement at a news conference on Wednesday, Governor El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, described the order as inciting and aimed at destabilising the peace of the country.
Mr Aruwan announced that the Police and Kaduna State Ministry of Justice have been directed to arrest and prosecute the signatories and anyone found to be involved in issuing such assault on the rights of fellow citizens.
He also assured every resident of the state that nobody can tamper with their freedom to reside where they choose and urged them to ignore the threats from the northern youths.
Two Wrongs Cannot Make A Right
“The Kaduna State Government condemns in the strongest terms the press statement by some self-appointed ‘northern youths’ that threatened the safety and property of our citizens of Igbo extraction. Government assures every resident of our state that their constitutional and human rights to live peacefully and own property wherever they choose is sacrosanct.
“Even people who may feel unhappy about irresponsible comments or actions that have taken place in other states must know that two wrongs cannot make a right. The Kaduna State Government believes in and will uphold the right of every Nigerian to live safely and develop his/her full potentials within its territory.
“Reckless disregard for the rights of other citizens drips through the press statement by these ‘northern youths’ who have chosen to use the discourse around restructuring to promote their own agenda of hate, division and incitement. This sort of opportunists cannot be allowed to distort debate, or turn it into a pretext for a barely-disguised agenda of displacement and dispossession of some citizens.
Right To Live In Peace
“We will not tolerate such irresponsible statements and conduct in our state. The statement issued by the ‘northern youths’ violates the laws of Kaduna State. Therefore, the Kaduna State Government has directed that its Ministry of Justice should prepare charges and prosecute the signatories and anyone complicit in arranging this egregious assault on the rights of fellow citizens.
“Preparatory to prosecution, the police have been directed to immediately arrest, interrogate the signatories to the statement and investigate all the circumstances and persons that may be implicated in the matter.
“The Kaduna State Government urges all residents to ignore the threats from the ‘northern youths’. We are in contact with the leadership of the Igbo community in Kaduna, and we are delighted to say that this community, like all our other communities, believes in the strength of the constitutional order to protect all citizens.
“KDSG wishes to encourage all our people to celebrate the diversity with which the Almighty has blessed us, to continue to shun agents of division, and to stand firm in upholding a common humanity. Everyone has a right to live in peace and harmony,” the statement read.