The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have condemned the killing of South East based northerners by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
While the NEF urged that government take decisive action to end killings, ACF called on the government to put attention on security.
IPOB kills woman, 4 kids, 6 other northerners in Anambra
Killing of Northerners in South East ethnic cleansing agenda- Arewa youths
The NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, further demanded that Northerners and even South Easterners must be protected from the activities of IPOB.
He called on government to take decisive steps to end the killings and the targeting of northerners.
“The events in the southeast particularly the events in recent days are tragic and very dangerous. There is a lot of anger in the land as there appears to be attempts to provoke some local communities as well as some part of Nigeria. Our position is that those with responsibilities to stop this, must stop it now.”
“We are appealing to everybody to remain calm and not to take the laws into their hands but we are demanding that northerners must be protected same way that we are demanding that easterners must be protected from the activities of this people who are killing.
“There is no excuse for failure to stop what IPOB is doing and we hope that in the next day or two, we will see a decisive action on the part of governments, on the part of governors and on the part of northern leaders and elites to speak up and stop what is going on there, the targeting of northerners in the southeast must stop. The killings of even south easterners by IPOB must stop we cannot have a country like this.”
The Secretary-General, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Murtala Aliyu said, “It is important that government brings all the attention of insecurity to the forefront, secure the country, secure the southeast from IPOB, and secure the north from bandits and all others threats. It is important that government put attention to security more than any other thing today.
“ACF is worried like every Nigerian over the killings in Anambra state. Our main worry is the general situation in the southeast our people, the northerners are also victims, but even the other Nigerian’s that are living there are not safe especially even the Igbo’s themselves.
“The important thing is to look at the whole issue holistically beyond regional or sectarian issues but look at the security of the country. It is quite unfortunate that today, in Nigeria, Nigerian’s are not safe where ever they are.
“Our own take is that government must take this seriously, a lot of energy is spend on the electioneering, yes, election is necessary, bringing a new government is necessary but we think that before this government leaves, they must do something about the insecurity otherwise, even election will be impossible in some locations.”
