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Quit Notice: We Can’t Arrest Arewa Youths – FG by santopelele(m): 3:37pm On Aug 26, 2017 |
/ ABUJA – The United Nations has called for the
arrest and prosecution of a coalition of northern
groups which had on June 6 issued a “quit
notice” to Igbo living in the northern part of the
Nigeria.
rom left, Chairman Arewa Youth Consultative
Forum, Shettima Yerima; Member of the
Coalition, Nasfura Asher; Spokesman Coalition of
Northern Groups (CNG), Mr. Abdullazeez
Suleiman; and Borno State Governor, Kashim
Shettima during a world press conference on the
suspension of the Kaduna Quit Notice
declaration by CNG in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga
Olamikan.
Though, the coalition had on Thursday
announced the withdrawal of the notice, it
however promised to pursue its other listed
demands up to the United Nations. Part of the
demands is that the government labels the
Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB as a terrorist
organization and the immediate arrest of its
leader, Nnamdi Kanu as well as the conduct of a
referendum to allow the Igbos have their
“Republic of Biafra”.
However, in a statement issued Friday in Geneva,
three UN experts urged the federal government
to also take immediate steps to arrest those
behind a song that seeks to disparage the Igbos.
The experts are Mr. Mutuma Ruteere, Special
Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and related
Intolerance; Mr. Fernand de Varennes, Special
Rapporteur on Minority Issues, and Ms. Anastasia
Crickley, Chairperson of the Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
“We are gravely concerned about this
proliferation of hate messages and incitement to
violence against the Igbo and their property,
especially considering the previous history of
such violence,” the experts said.
“The Government must be vigilant, as hate
speech and incitement can endanger social
cohesion and threaten peace by deepening the
existing tensions between Nigeria’s ethnic
communities.”
The ultimatum was issued on June 6 during a
press briefing by the coalition. It had asked the
Igbos to vacate the region on or before October
1. However, “mindful of the concerns generated
by the clause in the Kaduna declaration that
advised the Biafran Igbo to relocate from
northern Nigeria and for northerners in the South
East to do likewise, and our commitment to the
unity of our dear country…and as a consequence
of these vigorous engagements and as cultured
people with a tradition of respect for our national
values, leaders and elders, we are today pleased
to announce the immediate suspension of the
relocation clause otherwise referred to as the
quit notice from the Kaduna Declaration”, the
CNG had said in a speech read by its spokesman,
Abdulaziz Suleiman on Thursday.
But the human rights experts noted that some
local and national figures, as well as some media
representatives, had publicly denounced any form
of hate speech and incitement, but said other
officials still needed to follow suit.
“We are deeply concerned that some prominent
local leaders and elders have not condemned the
ultimatum, hate speech and the perpetrators,”
the experts stressed.
“We call on the Government, media and civil
society representatives, and local and religious
leaders, to reject and condemn hate speech and
incitement to violence unequivocally and in the
strongest possible terms.”
The UN experts said any incidents of hate
speech and incitement to violence had to be
investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted and
punished. “This includes the people behind the
ultimatum and those responsible for the creation,
publication and circulation of the hate song and
audio message,” they added.
Quit Notice withdrawal, not Enough -Atiku
On his part, former Vice President and chieftain
of the All Progressives Congress APC, Atiku
Abubakar has commended the Coalition of
Northern Groups for rescinding the quit notice,
but said the group must drop all its other
demands if reconciliation must be total.
The former Vice President said in a statement by
his media office in Abuja on August 25, 2017 that
“at last, good judgment has prevailed.”
He however appealed to the Coalition of
Northern Groups to go the whole hog and drop
any other condition given to people of Igbo origin
living in Northern Nigeria or anywhere else in the
nation. “Reconciliation must be total or else it is
pyrrhic”, Atiku said.
In the spirit of this rapprochement, the Waziri
Adamawa also calls on other ethnic groupings
that might have issued counter quit notices to
accept this olive branch and rescind whatever
notices or withdraw whatever statements they
may have made.
The former Vice President also commended
President Muhammadu Buhari for his national
broadcast condemning such developments and
urged other elders and elder-statesmen around
the nation to likewise add their voices to the
condemnation of evil and henceforth refrain from
making statements that undermine Nigeria’s
unity.
We can’t arrest Arewa Youths -FG
However, the Federal Government has explained
why it cannot arrest members of the coalition,
saying the group had already stated that they
were misquoted by the media (not Saturday
Vanguard).
According to the Minister of Interior,
Abdulrahman Dambazau; “The group that called
themselves coalition of Arewa Associations that
held a press conference in Kaduna where they
gave October 1 ultimatum to the Igbos to quit
the north as a response to what they termed as
issue of separatist agenda of the IPOB and claim
that there are lots of incitement from the Igbos
against the northerners to which the Kaduna
State governor responded that they should be
arrested for what they reported.
“Of course they later claimed that the media
quoted them out of context. I am very much
aware that the DSS invited all of them, held a
meeting with them to which they made a
statement to the effect that what was reported
in the media was not what they said.
“They further wrote to the acting President
indicating that they did not make inciting
statement as to the issue of violence or forceful
ejection of the Igbos in the north. However, it
was on the basis of that, the northern elders
called them to also reaffirm from them that what
was reported is not exactly what they meant”.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/quit-notice-cant-arrest-arewa-youths-fg/
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Re: Quit Notice: We Can’t Arrest Arewa Youths – FG by nNEOo(m): 3:55pm On Aug 26, 2017 |
power don the change hands .....whatever it is that may arise it would appear nigeria STAND ALONE .... FTC |
Re: Quit Notice: We Can’t Arrest Arewa Youths – FG by Henry22(m): 4:19pm On Aug 26, 2017 |
Its almost 0:0 hour, weldone buhari its all your hand work. |
(1) (Reply)
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