A South East based rights group under the aegis of Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs) has warned the federal government not to dismiss as mere threat the quit notice served on Igbo living in all parts of the North by Arewa youths.
The group consisting of 10 human rights groups, all domiciled in the Southeast in a press statement jointly signed and made available to journalists, titled: “Northern Youths’ Genocidal Threat: Avoiding The Repetition Of 1966 Anti Igbo Pogrom In Northern Nigeria And 1994 Rwandan Genocide”, described the notice as ‘genocidal’.
Some of those who signed the release included Aloysius Attah of Civil Liberties Organization, Southeast Zone, PeterOnyegiri of Centre for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy and Comrade Samuel Njoku of Human Rights Organization ofNigeria among others.
It said, “We resolved to call on the present Federal Government of Nigeria and its security forces as well as all elected and appointed public office holders and other key political actors in Southeast Nigeria not to repeat the dire mistakes of 1966 by taking for granted the recent anti-Igbo order.
“It is common knowledge to all and sundry that the present security forces and agencies in Nigeria particularly their command structures are ethno-religiously lopsided and composed in grave favour of the Hausa-Fulani Muslims.
“These explain our deep worries concerning the likelihood of another anti Igbo pogrom in Northern Nigeria on account of the said genocidal threat. This is more so when up till now, the Nigeria security forces particularly the Army and SSS that go about hunting, haunting and hounding innocent Nigerians have not gone after them,” it said.
The group called on members of the international community and non-governmental organizations to take notice of the latest threat and do that which is morally, legally and diplomatically necessary to compel Nigerian authorities and their security agencies not to resort to their usual lukewarm attitudes in dealing with the threat.
It also called on the federal government to treat the threat as early warnings that must be proactively and preventively handled so as to stop Nigeria and Nigerians from going to the genocidal way of the Republic of Rwanda.
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