The Ohaneze Youth Council, OYC, on Wednesday, slammed the Arewa Youth Development Foundation for its call for the dissolution of Nigeria as a country.
Ohaneze Youths in a statement by its National President, Okechukwu Isiguzoro,described it as a big offence that should attract treason charges.
OYC also condemned the demand by the Arewa Youths for Southerners in the North to leave within two weeks and for Northerners in the South to do the same, saying that it was “uncalled for and unconstitutional”.
The Igbo in its statement said that “it was shocking that at this time Nigeria is passing through serious security breaches, some misguided youths under sponsorship by fifth columnists could be making divisive calls inimical to their fatherland.
“Our concern about the shameful outing in the palace of Emir of Kano is that the youths of the region who have been notoriously misruled for long by the same people that sent them on the dirty mission should have rather questioned their sponsors on their ignoble roles in bringing the region and Nigeria to its present situation.
“The same people that foisted penury, deprivation and frustration on the innocent talakwas (commoners) of the North are now sending them mischievously on an errand that threatens Nigeria’s unity. Our message to the contemporary youths of the North is to resist the attempt of the fifth columnist and merchants of topsy-turvy politics to herd them into an ill-fated mission”.
He urged other Northerners to resist those who hide under the cloak of the region to cause confusion and chaos, stressing that “we know these few elements that pretend to be the conscience of the North and we also know the true conscience of the North”.
He added that “Our attention has been drawn to a provocative warning against Ndigbo by the Arewa Consultative Forum, threatening to interfere with Igbo businesses in the North. This is also on the heels of the call by the Arewa Youth Development Foundation for Southerners to quit the North within two weeks.
“This is a similar approach to the event that culminated to the unfortunate crisis of the middle of late 60’s when undue sentiment, emotional outburst and propaganda were allowed to take the better part of reasoning of some people in the North. Later, millions of innocent Igbos and Easterners were to pay the supreme sacrifice”.
“The truth is that there is no single threat to any Northerner in the South East or Igboland. They are here doing their normal businesses and unmolested by anybody. The Governors of the zone as the Chief security officers of their various states only took constitutional measures to safeguard their states against insecurity, especially in view of the recent discoveries and arrests of Boko Haram suspects in the zone.
Do the Arewa people want the South-East Governors and people to keep quiet in the face of Boko Haram threat to the zone?” He queried.
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