A group under the auspices of the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF), has threatened reprisal attacks across the northern region including Abuja, following the gruesome killing of 16 Northern travellers who were said to be hunters in Uromi, Edo State.
The group in a terse warning on Wednesday, also urged northerners residing in the southern regions to return home for their safety.
The threat which was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the CNF’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Muhammad, accused the Edo State government and security agencies over alleged failure to protect northerners, describing the authorities’ inability to protect Northerners residing outside their region as a call to anarchy.
Muhammad added that the alleged failure of government in taking decisive action could lead to retaliation, stressing that no group holds a monopoly on lawlessness.
Muhammad also decried what he termed as the recurring targeted attacks on northerners in the southern parts of the country as well as the destruction of property, leading to losses amounting to billions of Naira.
While acknowledging the visit of Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo’s to Kano State where he commiserated with the families of the victims, the CNF said the gesture was inadequate, insisting that only the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators would bring justice to the victims and to prevent further violence.
Part of the statement reads:
“Northerners must return home following the brutal murder of Northern hunters in Uromi, Edo State.
“It is unacceptable that while Northerners remain law-abiding and hospitable, they are massacred, and their properties destroyed.
“This pattern has occurred across multiple regions. We are fed up and will not remain passive as our people are slaughtered while the authorities fail to act.
“We demand an end to these attacks. No one has a monopoly on violence. If the authorities remain passive, reprisals are inevitable across Northern states, including Abuja.
“We acknowledge Governor Okpebholo’s visit but insists it is insufficient. We demand justice; the perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted, and the victims’ families must be compensated.
“To prevent future attacks, the government must act decisively. Justice must be served. Northerners are being targeted, their properties destroyed, and they are no longer safe outside the North.
“To avoid further tragedies, all Northerners should return home and focus on building a secure and prosperous region.”
© Ripples Nigeria