From Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The Northern Nigerian Youths Solidarity For Peace and Development (NOPED) has expressed its concern on the recent utterances of leader of the Odua People Congress, Chief Ganiyu Adams.
The group described as unwarranted the attack on Governor Bello Mutawalle of Zamfara by the OPC leader over the governor recent view on warning against the killings in the South.
The governor had threatened that the North may be forced to retaliate attacks on its people by southerners, urging southern leaders to caution hooligans to stop the attacks to avoid reprisal.
In a statement signed by Dr Mustafa Sadauki, the group said: ‘Governor Bello’s words has justified his action by the process he followed in reaching out to some of his colleagues in the North in order to unite and confront such ugly trends of rampant attacks against majority if the Hausa community staying or doing their legitimate businesses in the South.
‘We appreciate the stand of Governor Bello Muhammad in which he made it clear that enough is enough over the continue killings and subsequent attacks include destruction of properties belonging to Hausa people in the name of hatred by the sponsored hooligans and irritants in the South.
‘We are aware that just recently some miscreants under the watchful eyes of their security outfits Amotekun and certain leaders have continue to attacked and killed Hausa people at Sasha, Ibadan before another one in the South-East.
‘Despite our respect and accommodative posture of an Arewa man to these people in the North, our people are still becoming victims of attacks by their alleged thugs with attendants of losses of lives and properties.
‘We condemned in totality the meddlesome of OPC and those so called leaders in the south west who folded their arms and allow such carnage without taking drastic acton to remedy it.’
The group noted that the OPC leader has no moral justification to question the action of the governor or any of our political leaders on why they are not in support of such acton of attacking law-abiding citizens and properties.
‘We call on leadership of the North, especially ACF and other pressure group to immediately support efforts of Gov Bello Muhammad Matawalle and other eminent Northerners so as to bring a solution to these attacks and many security challenges facing the region,’ the statement reads in part.