By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
Following the recent attack on northerners living in Abia State, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has called on the Abia State and the Federal Government to quickly arrest those responsible for the attack and expose their supporters within two weeks.
The CNG observed that the attack was another attempt by the South-East to cause greater conflict in the country.
The CNG, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman enjoined the Abia State government to act quickly.
He said that the North would no longer tolerate unwarranted attacks on its people living as minorities in the South-East or any other part of the country.
The CNG said it had carefully studied the unfolding events with considerable restraint and maturity, explaining that it has on many occasions condoned and accommodated what it called “several unreasonable and unacceptable actions” that have been perpetrated against northerners in the South-East in particular.
According to the statement, “The recent attack in Abia has taken matters to a point whereby silence has become complicity and inaction is no longer an option in the face of unprovoked evictions, attacks and killings of northerners in various parts of the South-East.”
The CNG said it demands an immediate and comprehensive assessment of casualties and extent of damage inflicted on the innocent northerners and appropriate compensation made to the victims.
It added that it is quite aware that the perpetrators of what it called “this relentless violence pursuing this agenda of destruction and collective mayhem”, fervently hope they will engulf the entire country and bring about another civil war and mass killings and suffering of innocent people.
CNG warned that the North would no longer tolerate any further irreleverant treatment of northerners resulting from the hate campaigns and propaganda being conducted by regional and ethnic agitators, aimed mainly at instigating reprisals by northerners against people from other parts of the country.
It reminded the ESN, the IPOB and their sponsors that they do not have monopoly of rascality and violence and that the patience of the North had reached its peak “and we are no longer prepared to turn the other cheek.”
CNG said that it was quite aware of the resort being made by what it called “self-appointed enemies of the North” to force the North into reacting to their provocations in kind, so as to usher in anarchy and greater instability.
