Proscribed Igbo separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has condemned the mob killing of Northern travellers in Uromi local government area of Edo State, and has called for a comprehensive investigation into the lynching and proper punishment meted out to the perpetrators of the dastardly act.
The northerners believed to be hunters, were reportedly attacked and killed by the mob while travelling to Kano State for the Sallah festivities on Friday on the suspicion that they were kidnappers.
In a statement on Sunday by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, the Biafra agitators attributed the act to mistrust among the ethnic groups in the country, noting that the attack may have been a result of unaddressed Fulani kidnaps and crimes in the state and other parts of the south.
Powerful urged those behind the crime to desist from such mindless jungle justice, insisting that the Hausa tribes are not the problem of the country as they are also facing annihilation at the hands of the Fulanis.
“The jungle justice meted out to some of the purported Hausa hunters transiting from Edo State is regrettable, as the indigenous Hausas are equally facing ethnic annihilation at the hands of the Fulani invaders,” he said.
“The global family of IPOB wants our Southern brethren to understand that Hausas are never the problem for the indigenous people in Nigeria. Indigenous Hausa people are harmless, hardworking, and accommodating, unlike the Fulani ethnic group.
“Indigenous Hausas are being forced to flee their ancestral communities by the marauding Fulani terrorists and bandits. In that regard, IPOB is advising the Southern brethren not to attack Hausas in the region but to treat them as victims of oppression.
“People should try and distinguish between Hausas and the Fulani ethnic group. Hausas are victims of subjugation and oppression at the hands of the Fulani ethnic group.
“The barbaric attack and murder by civilians in Edo State must have been a result of ongoing bitterness and frustration from unaddressed Fulani terrorist and kidnapping activities that have been going on in Edo State.
“However, it’s rather ignorant or stupid for any Northerner, whether Hausa, Fulani, or others, to enter any Southern bushes or forest for so-called hunting. The reason is that Nigerians, particularly in the South, have been crying and protesting against Fulani kidnappers.
“Many people have been victims of Fulani kidnapping daily. To make matters worse, the Nigerian Government and her security forces feign ignorance of the kidnapping activities of the Fulani terrorists and bandits in the South.
“The result is that every Northerner, including the innocent ones, has become a prime suspect. Nigerians are already provoked because the Nigerian Government and her security forces have abandoned the people to their fate when it comes to security.
“We, therefore, advise the Southern brethren to avoid ethnic profiling and attacks on all Northerners. Not all Northerners are harmful. But those Fulani terrorists and kidnappers inside the bushes are a threat to all the indigenous people in Nigeria.
“Indigenous people of Hausas are facing extermination, like the indigenous people of Biafra and the indigenous people of Oduduwa.
“The IPOB global family condemns the unfortunate attack and killing of some purported Hausas travelling to the North for the Sallah celebration. We join others in asking for a proper investigation into the case.
“We caution the police against raiding and indiscriminate arrests, which is the usual practice in the South. As tensions are high, the leaders from the North and South must advise their people not to take the law into their own hands.
“Nigeria’s security is in a fragile state. There is serious ethnic mistrust in Nigeria, and any ethnic spark may leave Nigeria in a very sorry state. IPOB wants to exit Nigeria peacefully without the shedding of innocent blood; that’s why we have constantly asked that Nigeria be balkanised peacefully.
“IPOB commiserates with the families of those men who were attacked and killed by frustrated, angry mobs in Edo State. We call for calm as authorities should carry out an investigation and prosecution of the culprits.
“Moreover, innocent Northerners should avoid entering the bushes in the South for whatever reason in these current fragile security situations in Nigeria.
“If you want to hunt or fish, please do that in the North. Fulani terrorists and kidnappers have already created suspicion in the minds of every Southerner with their unrepentant terrorist and kidnapping activities,” Powerful cautioned.
