Warn secessionists against provoking another war, Arewa elders tell Igbo leaders

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

Northern Elders Forum (NEF), yesterday, called on Igbo leaders to prevail on secessionists in the South East to sheathe their sword in order not to instigate another war in the country.

The Arewa group which spoke to jurnalists at the end of their meeting in Abuja through its spokesman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said Northern leaders have resolved not to allow any war in the country.

He, however, stated that the silence of Igbo leaders is no longer golden given the alleged frequent killing of Northerners in Igboland.

Baba-Ahmed appealed to leaders of the South East to protect their region rather than succumb to the insidious activities of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN).

He also demanded  that the Federal Government should grant a leeway for the Igbo to secede from the country if that would restore peace and harmony.

““Irredentists are increasingly asserting their influence over in the South East and some part of the country, and in the manner that millions of Nigerians now live. Rhetorics from political leaders and ethnic champions who speak in threats and demands routinely suggest that the sentiments in support of irredentism are becoming more widespread. All Nigerians are paying the price of failure of two sets of leaders. At the national level, the administration appears to have lost the capacity to halt the gradual descent of the country into anarchy. Political leaders in the South East appear to have submitted to violence and terror of IPOB and ESN.

“Muted voices of millions of Igbo cannot be heard so that fellow Nigerians could understand the degree to which secession by the Igbo represents the popular choice.This nation has had to fight a terrible war to preserve the country. The North had paid its dues in that war, as indeed it did in many ways throughout the history of the country.  Under our current circumstances, no Nigerian should welcome another war to keep the country together. The North in particular has more than enough challenges, and we recognise that violent secession by any part of Nigeria will compound the problems all Nigerians live with.”