I was touched by the story of a northerner born and bred in Onitsha. The link below.

https://www.nairaland.com/3860873/story-northerner-born-bred-onitsha

And let me tell my own story.

I am a south easterner from Imo State. Born and bred in Minna.

Minna is the home I know. Though from childhood we always went home for Christmas every year. Which I do till date.

I grew up in Minna. Attended primary school, secondary school and university there. A small town, so lovely. Every tribe co-exist happily.
I remember when I was young, religious riots were going on throughout the North (Maitatasine or so riots). Rumours had it that it was getting closer to Minna. We breathed sigh of relief when it all ended and didn't get to us.

Even when Kaduna, Zaria, Kano and Jos religious riots took place, Minna was so peaceful and unaffected. I had to ask one of my muslim friends one day if Minna muslims practice a different kind of Islam from those of the core north. Why are Minna Muslims so peaceful while those core north ones are very violent?

I left Minna for Abuja to work in 2006 and have been here till then. But I was going to Minna regularly to visit my family and friends. Things turned around for the worse starting from the 2011 general elections that Buhari contested and lost. I was at work in Abuja one Friday when my mum called me and said they were in Army barracks. I asked her what for. Whether my younger brother wanted to join Army. She said no. That they ran for protection. That every Friday when the Muslims go to mosque, they would close their shops in the market and run and stay in the barracks. Though after the prayers, nothing usually happened. I was so sad. The following Friday, I travelled to Minna. And immediately after the Friday prayers, my friends and I went to the central mosque area to enquire what was happening. The area boys assured us that everything was ok. And it was.

After Buhari lost. The Minna area boys went to set fire in a First Baptist church, Bosso Road, Minna attended mainly by yorubas, but not much damage was done. They went and broke glasses in one Qua Iboe Church, Tunga, Minna, though not much damage was done as well. They went and burnt corpers lodge in Tunga, near where we live. Hearing all these stories, I travelled back to Minna to monitor the situation of things. Just for me to hear that the government declared curfew from 6pm which was later relaxed to 8pm (first time in my over 2 decades of stay in Minna to hear curfew).
All these stories were disturbing. And I had an aged mum who was staying with only the househelp, as all of us the children are grown and have gone to different places to seek greener pasture. We called one another on phone and decided that we had to take our mum out of Minna. In 2012, despite her protests, and with pain in our hearts, we had to relocate to Owerri for her to stay in our state capital and closer home.
Despite all, I still call Minna my home. I go there at least once in every month to visit my friends. And will even go next week Monday to celebrate Sallah with my good friends.

It's just so unfortunate. Greedy, devious politicians and religious fanatics have put us in the situation we find ourselves today.

Peace.

cc: lalasticlala

It is quite regrettable how these elites turn people against themselves while they live in peace and affluence, everyone has a story to tell, but the question has remained if we can ever cohabit in peace again as a country.

The North is usually tensed up in comparison to other regions during the election period, What is it with these people and power?

North is a scary region with good individuals but dangerous groups.

EmeeNaka:
North is a scary region with good individuals but dangerous groups.

it's just illiteracy, poverty and religious fanatism.
When u meet an educated an educated, gainfully employed northerner, trust me, u have met a good friend.

Live in the North at your own peril.

Like I have always said, there have never 'TRUE PEACE' in the north. The peace there have always been conditional and dependent on how much southerners can bend and surrender their political birthright to the hausa and Fulanis.

Why anyone would think that the contraption can ever be a progressive country talkless of being a nation with these Arewa elements in it, is beyond me.

The high level of illiteracy in the north has led to massive political exploitation through the use of religion.

Marcelo290:
It is quite regrettable how these elites turn people against themselves while they live in peace and affluence, everyone has a story to tell, but the question has remained if we can ever cohabit in peace again as a country.

The North is usually tensed up in comparison to other regions during the election period, What is it with these people and power?

I so miss my Minna. Truth be said, after that 2011 general elections rubbish, nothing else has happened. Minna has still remained as peaceful as ever

Unimaginable123:
I was touched by the story of a northerner born and bred in Onitsha. The link below.

https://www.nairaland.com/3860873/story-northerner-born-bred-onitsha

And let me tell my own story.

I am a south easterner from Imo State. Born and bred in Minna.

Minna is the home I know. Though from childhood we always went home for Christmas every year. Which I do till date.

I grew up in Minna. Attended primary school, secondary school and university there. A small town, so lovely. Every tribe co-exist happily.
I remember when I was young, religious riots were going on throughout the North (Maitatasine or so riots). Rumours had it that it was getting closer to Minna. We breathed sigh of relief when it all ended and didn't get to us.

Even when Kaduna, Zaria, Kano and Jos religious riots took place, Minna was so peaceful and unaffected. I had to ask one of my muslim friends one day if Minna muslims practice a different kind of Islam from those of the core north. Why are Minna Muslims so peaceful while those core north ones are very violent?

I left Minna for Abuja to work in 2006 and have been here till then. But I was going to Minna regularly to visit my family and friends. Things turned around for the worse starting from the 2011 general elections that Buhari contested and lost. I was at work in Abuja one Friday when my mum called me and said they were in Army barracks. I asked her what for. Whether my younger brother wanted to join Army. She said no. That they ran for protection. That every Friday when the Muslims go to mosque, they would close their shops in the market and run and stay in the barracks. Though after the prayers, nothing usually happened. I was so sad. The following Friday, I travelled to Minna. And immediately after the Friday prayers, my friends and I went to the central mosque area to enquire what was happening. The area boys assured us that everything was ok. And it was.

After Buhari lost. The Minna area boys went to set fire in a First Baptist church, Bosso Road, Minna attended mainly by yorubas, but not much damage was done. They went and broke glasses in one Qua Iboe Church, Tunga, Minna, though not much damage was done as well. They went and burnt corpers lodge in Tunga, near where we live. Hearing all these stories, I travelled back to Minna to monitor the situation of things. Just for me to hear that the government declared curfew from 6pm which was later relaxed to 8pm (first time in my over 2 decades of stay in Minna to hear curfew).
All these stories were disturbing. And I had an aged mum who was staying with only the househelp, as all of us the children are grown and have gone to different places to seek greener pasture. We called one another on phone and decided that we had to take our mum out of Minna. In 2012, despite her protests, and with pain in our hearts, we had to relocate to Owerri for her to stay in our state capital and closer home.
Despite all, I still call Minna my home. I go there at least once in every month to visit my friends. And will even go next week Monday to celebrate Sallah with my good friends.

It's just so unfortunate. Greedy, devious politicians and religious fanatics have put us in the situation we find ourselves today.

Peace.

cc: lalasticlala

Although,my stay in Minna was not morethan 5 years,I cant help to say that it is a peaceful state(I wont be wrong to call it the most peaceful Northern state). I was in Minna during the last gubernatorial and presidential elections(school palaver),stocked up all my basic necessities in excess for fear of riots and stuff,but nothing of that sort happened.

I am presently serving in Jos and cant wait to round up so I can run my postgraduate programme in Minna.

EmeeNaka:
North is a scary region with good individuals but dangerous groups.

Have you lived or are living in the North? If no,then you have no right to pass comments that are not right....Even Maiduguri is not as terrible as we paint it to be...Nigerians have a thing for blowing bad news or sad states out of proportion.

Ojiofor:
Live in the North at your own peril.

Live with this sort of ignorance and bigotry at your own peril

Ironically it's mostly the easterners that cheer those politicians that use religion to further divide us.
When every small incident is painted with religious and ethnic coloration, a simple fight between two individuals can escalate to full blown war.
Again, the so called volatile and dangerous region has ten times more non-indigents than the other regions. Up till today there are more easterners in even Yobe than northerners in Ebonyi!

EazyMoh:
Ironically it's mostly the easterners that cheer those politicians that use religion to further divide us.
When every small incident is painted with religious and ethnic coloration, a simple fight between two individuals can escalate to full blown war.
Again, the so called volatile and dangerous region has ten times more non-indigents than the other regions. Up till today there are more easterners in even Yobe than northerners in Ebonyi!

This is a warped mindset and presentation. A good number of times, the victims of majority of these riots and blood letting sprees are the Easterners and not because of any provocation from them but because some evil political n religious leaders capitalise on the ignorance, poverty and illiteracy among northerners to cause unnecessary madness and wicked actions.

Exactly how do Igbos or Easterners cheer such bastards on? Like, encourage them to harm them more? Meanwhile u seem to have a problem with the number of Igbos in the North n other parts of Nigeria so I'll let u know that until the letters n words of the Constitution concerning freedom to live n own property/businesses in any part of the country are changed, u should swallow that bile n live with the facts.

EazyMoh:
Ironically it's mostly the easterners that cheer those politicians that use religion to further divide us.
When every small incident is painted with religious and ethnic coloration, a simple fight between two individuals can escalate to full blown war.
Again, the so called volatile and dangerous region has ten times more non-indigents than the other regions. Up till today there are more easterners in even Yobe than northerners in Ebonyi!

Have you ever lost anyone to religious riots? Have you ever witnessed religious riots up there in the north? If you did, you would see the north from the perspective of those who lost relatives, friends and had their properties and life saving set ablaze.

It's offensive to the memories of those who witnessed such barbarism to call those incidents 'simple'. I lost a close friend who went to visit his brother in one of the northern states in 2000. I know people who fought for their lives in Jos.

Even the op had to visit the central mosque to be reassured by the 'area boys' that they were safe. It was same set of thugs who attacked the baptist church and Qua Iboe churches.

There have been numerous incidents resulting in multiple wastage of lives and properties and isolated incidents where individuals were murdered like the Igbo woman who complained when a man was washing in front of her shop. She was killed by the mob. A Yoruba pastor who was preaching one early morning was killed. What happened to the killers? I have family members who lived from keffi, Zaria and kaduna but had to relocate after they were attacked. Go tell those people that the north is safe or tell them that they are bigots and paranoid when they narrate their experiences.

Pls, everyone knows the north is dangerous and scary.

My cousin was almost killed in 2011 by Islamic fanatics in Kano. She would have been dead today if not for the timely intervention of the army. She saw lots of dead bodies while being led away to safety. This is a cousin that lived with my family before traveling to Kano so no lies here. They burned churches and properties of southerners.

My mother also lost several of her step siblings in the north long before I was born. So pls, enough of the political correctness. The north has always been the most volatile region in Nigeria.

There are several other instances too.

Juliearth:


Have you lived or are living in the North? If no,then you have no right to pass comments that are not right....Even Maiduguri is not as terrible as we paint it to be...Nigerians have a thing for blowing bad news or sad states out of proportion.

Amberon11:
Pls, everyone knows the north is dangerous and scary.

My cousin was almost killed in 2011 by Islamic fanatics in Kano. She would have been dead today if not for the timely intervention of the army. She saw lots of dead bodies while being led away to safety. This is a cousin that lived with my family before traveling to Kano so no lies here. They burned churches and properties of southerners.

My mother also lost several of her step siblings in the north long before I was born. So pls, enough of the political correctness. The north has always been the most volatile region in Nigeria.

There are several other instances too.

Sorry for the loss,I rest my case

Islam and Peace are poles apart.

kenny987:


This is a warped mindset and presentation. A good number of times, the victims of majority of these riots and blood letting sprees are the Easterners and not because of any provocation from them but because some evil political n religious leaders capitalise on the ignorance, poverty and illiteracy among northerners to cause unnecessary madness and wicked actions.

Exactly how do Igbos or Easterners cheer such bastards on? Like, encourage them to harm them more? Meanwhile u seem to have a problem with the number of Igbos in the North n other parts of Nigeria so I'll let u know that until the letters n words of the Constitution concerning freedom to live n own property/businesses in any part of the country are changed, u should swallow that bile n live with the facts.

I was referring to the likes of FFK when I made that point.
Yeah! you people cheer him on even when he comes up with ridiculous allegation based on regions or ethnic issues like that CRK removal allegation, a syllabus that was created and approved since 2012 under Jonathan.
There is jungle justice especially in the south almost on daily basis, but because most of the victims are indigent, the incident ends there.
My point is mobs are unruly and barbaric in this part of the world. In Ghana a military officer was lynched by a mob that suspected him to be an armed robber. Likewise suspected cultists and even petty thieves.
Now tell me is it every sane individual in the society that supports such jungle justice?
I will never attack no support lynching or attacking anybody because they insult my religion or petty theft.
What I am to do is to protect myself against the attacker only. Even a person who blasphemed despite it carries death penalty, the sentence can only be passed by a Court and so is the execution. Any group of Muslims or whoever that kill the suspect prior to trial has committed murder! Just like those Ghanaian villagers.
Am not even sure what part of my comment you were trying to address, but I was trying to point out to you the way you guys benefit from the north and at the same time insult, castigate and disparage the north and it's people one would think there won't be any easterner left by now in the north.
I have many igbo friends, but it's your crass attitude that is unbearable, insulting and irritating. It will eventually be your downfall when you annoy the rest of the country that they decide to push you our into your Biafra, na then your eyes go clear.

Juliearth:


Live with this sort of ignorance and bigotry at your own peril

north is naught. This statement was made by an igbo man that lost his wife, kids and properties in the mohamed cartoon religious riot. What about Mrs Bridget Agbahime?

gbosaa:


Have you ever lost anyone to religious riots? Have you ever witnessed religious riots up there in the north? If you did, you would see the north from the perspective of those who lost relatives, friends and had their properties and life saving set ablaze.

It's offensive to the memories of those who witnessed such barbarism to call those incidents 'simple'. I lost a close friend who went to visit his brother in one of the northern states in 2000. I know people who fought for their lives in Jos.

Even the op had to visit the central mosque to be reassured by the 'area boys' that they were safe. It was same set of thugs who attacked the baptist church and Qua Iboe churches.

There have been numerous incidents resulting in multiple wastage of lives and properties and isolated incidents where individuals were murdered like the Igbo woman who complained when a man was washing in front of her shop. She was killed by the mob. A Yoruba pastor who was preaching one early morning was killed. What happened to the killers? I have family members who lived from keffi, Zaria and kaduna but had to relocate after they were attacked. Go tell those people that the north is safe or tell them that they are bigots and paranoid when they narrate their experiences.

I apologize if my comment came up as insensitive. And to answer your question, Yes! I have lost family members and townsfolk to religious crisis. My cousin was buttered and his friends in 2013 Wukari Ibbi crisis.
That being said, I was referring to the incidents that normally lead to the full blown crisis, for example the ablution inform of a shop incident that was initially simple. It's unfortunate that it got to confrontation, and those barbaric uneducated mob eventually killed her.
Bottom line is those attacks were jungle justice acts carried out by uneducated miscreants in the society. They hide under that cover to loot people's shops even rape their women. As a sane person at those moments all you can do is scamper to safety and hope security agents deal with the barbaric miscreants.
But for all of you to keep painting the whole north as the worst thing to happen to humanity yet keep trooping in to make a living is simply foolish.
Why go to where your life and property won't be secured?
Lol! I just remember a story....

You really think that the countless number of churches and homes of Southerners set ablaze as well as the human victims who are unceremoniously hunted and slaughtered can be classed as the actions of an unruly mob?! You may want to consider the perspectives of those who have been victims of this madness justfor being Christians or Southerners. The madalla bombing on Christmas day some years ago? An unruly mob or deliberate targeting of Christians in a church?! Perhaps your idea of jungle justice?

U want to claim same things happen in the South right? Even with the morbid hatred most SE and SS states have for APC, which of those states have recorded the volume of killings as we had in 2011 because of electoral losses? Even the Rivers people like to make so much noise about, did Rivers youth kill northerners because APC won elections in some areas? How many mosques have been burned in the South as Churches in the North? You really think u can equate those actions and so the hate for the wickedness of the islamic north is unfounded? You've got another think coming then. Stop trying to downplay obvious evil.

The naturally peaceful nature of Southerners is what gives u and ur kind wings but soon, una eyes too go clear.

EazyMoh:

I was referring to the likes of FFK when I made that point.
Yeah! you people cheer him on even when he comes up with ridiculous allegation based on regions or ethnic issues like that CRK removal allegation, a syllabus that was created and approved since 2012 under Jonathan.
There is jungle justice especially in the south almost on daily basis, but because most of the victims are indigent, the incident ends there.
My point is mobs are unruly and barbaric in this part of the world. In Ghana a military officer was lynched by a mob that suspected him to be an armed robber. Likewise suspected cultists and even petty thieves.
Now tell me is it every sane individual in the society that supports such jungle justice?
I will never attack no support lynching or attacking anybody because they insult my religion or petty theft.
What I am to do is to protect myself against the attacker only. Even a person who blasphemed despite it carries death penalty, the sentence can only be passed by a Court and so is the execution. Any group of Muslims or whoever that kill the suspect prior to trial has committed murder! Just like those Ghanaian villagers.
Am not even sure what part of my comment you were trying to address, but I was trying to point out to you the way you guys benefit from the north and at the same time insult, castigate and disparage the north and it's people one would think there won't be any easterner left by now in the north.
I have many igbo friends, but it's your crass attitude that is unbearable, insulting and irritating. It will eventually be your downfall when you annoy the rest of the country that they decide to push you our into your Biafra, na then your eyes go clear.

My dad and mom came to jos as far back as 1953 though my dad is late, my mum is still in jos till this day.

The gave birth to all their seven children in jos and we all grew up there. I left jos to port Harcourt at the age of 28 years so am more familiar with the life of a northerner.

Their friendship is conditional
I will never forget how 2 of my younger brothers and three cusins were killed my their so called northern friends in jos 2001 crisis. They paid the ultimate price for trusting their northern friends and neighbors of over 20 years with their lives only for them to be bunt alive by the same people they went to for protection.

this is hate speech
why are you saying northarn moslims kill southernas?

dudebuck:
north is naught. This statement was made by an igbo man that lost his wife, kids and properties in the mohamed cartoon religious riot. What about Mrs Bridget Agbahime?

And is violence peculiar to the Northern part of the country only? I dont mean for this conversation to be bigotted,but have you forgotten so soon about the killings in the South? Militancy?? Cult-inspired killing Nigeria is a wild wild wild super wild west and not just the North

[quote author=ShootToKill post=57639965] Like I have always said, there have never 'TRUE PEACE' in the north. The peace there have always been conditional and dependent on how much southerners can bend and surrender their political birthright to the hausa and Fulanis.

Why anyone would think that the contraption can ever be a progressive country talkless of being a nation with these Arewa elements in it, is beyond me.



The peace of the North is conditional.

It depends on the subservience of Southerners living in the South to Northern political demands.

Its almost like: " If you want to live in peace in our land, it all depends on your brothers down south. Once they continue remaining subservient to our political leaders in the North and not challenge the status quo,you will have peace, otherwise, you will bleed".

My cousin living in Kaduna was praying for Buhari win in 2015, not because he loved Buhari, but because he was afraid he might lose his investments and even life, had GEJ won.

He is also currently strongly anti Biafra, cos he fears for his life and investments too.

Its the peace of blackmail, the peace of graveyard, that's the only peace you can have in the North.

Juliearth:


Live with this sort of ignorance and bigotry at your own peril

I lived in Kano for 8 good years and was lucky to have survive two deadly riots but unfortunately many of my friends and relatives didn't.
Go to every part of Igboland you will see people who are barely lucky to have escaped from Bornu state and other parts of North East alive abandoning everything they had and came back home empty handed etc......I think you are the ignorant one here with the recent quit notice given to Ndigbo living in the North.If you are not the ignorant one then you must be an Ostrich.

Joeblack01:
My dad and mom came to jos as far back as 1953 though my dad is late, my mum is still in jos till this day.

The gave birth to all their seven children in jos and we all grew up there. I left jos to port Harcourt at the age of 28 years so am more familiar with the life of a northerner.

Their friendship is conditional
I will never forget how my of my younger brothers and three cusins were killed my their so called northern friends in jos 2001 crisis. They paid the ultimate price for trusting their northern friends and neighbors of over 20 years with their lives only for them to be bunt alive by the same people they went to for protection.

jos is middle belt people in that area are civilized we are refering to core north.

Ojiofor:


I lived in Kano for 8 good years and was lucky to have survive two deadly riots but unfortunately many of my friends and relatives didn't.
Go to every part of Igboland you will see people who are barely lucky to have escaped from Bornu state and other parts of North East alive abandoning everything they had and came back home empty handed etc......I think you are the ignorant one here with the recent quit notice given to Ndigbo living in the North.If you are not the ignorant one then you must be an Ostrich.

I understand that you are hurt,but the last thing I expect from you is throwing insults like a sissy, but then,I need not reply in that light(cos I clearly know better) I still maintain my stand. Do have a wonderful day and please a cup of chamomile tea to calm your nerves(doctors recommendation) and may the soul of the departed Rest in Peace.

Juliearth:


And is violence peculiar to the Northern part of the country only? I dont mean for this conversation to be bigotted,but have you forgotten so soon about the killings in the South? Militancy?? Cult-inspired killing Nigeria is a wild wild wild super wild west and not just the North

Yes, this targeted and deliberate violence against people of southern ethnicity or of the Christian faith is peculiar to the North. Nowhere in the South do u have muslims n northerners deliberately isolated and killed unless in very few reprisals. You still meet the same northern muslim fulanis raiding farms n killing resident farmers in the Southern zones. Has such ever happened where Southerners go on a rampage and start killing northerners in d North?

Be honest! Nigeria is crazy but the North is the worst! Absolutely terrible religious and ethnic wicked bigotry reigns supreme right from their mosques. U see in the op that Christians run into hiding once they're done from Friday prayers; has it ever happened that muslims are afraid and run for safety once Christians finish Sunday service?

EazyMoh:
Ironically it's mostly the easterners that cheer those politicians that use religion to further divide us.
When every small incident is painted with religious and ethnic coloration, a simple fight between two individuals can escalate to full blown war.
Again, the so called volatile and dangerous region has ten times more non-indigents than the other regions. Up till today there are more easterners in even Yobe than northerners in Ebonyi!

..Common-sense is not so common after all..what a pity.

kenny987:


Yes, this targeted and deliberate violence against people of southern ethnicity or of the Christian faith is peculiar to the North. Nowhere in the South do u have muslims n northerners deliberately isolated and killed unless in very few reprisals. You still meet the same northern muslim fulanis raiding farms n killing resident farmers in the Southern zones. Has such ever happened where Southerners go on a rampage and start killing northerners in d North?

Be honest! Nigeria is crazy but the North is the worst! Absolutely terrible religious and ethnic wicked bigotry reigns supreme right from their mosques. U see in the op that Christians run into hiding once they're done from Friday prayers; has it ever happened that muslims are afraid and run for safety once Christians finish Sunday service?

You argument is greatly exaggerated. I do not like to ponder on an issue for too long...therefore,to each his own.

Juliearth:



I understand that you are hurt,but the last thing I expect from you is throwing insults like a sissy, but then,I need not reply in that light(cos I clearly know better) I still maintain my stand. Do have a wonderful day and please a cup of chamomile tea to calm your nerves(doctors recommendation) and may the soul of the departed Rest in Peace.

Juliearth:


Live with this sort of ignorance and bigotry at your own peril

This last quote from you wasn't friendly either...Do have a nice day though!