Biafra Matter Settled in 1970, ACF Tells Igbo

The pan-northern socio-political group, Arewa Consultative Forum, has told Igbo leaders to warn their youths agitating for secession, saying that the issue that led to the nation’s 30-month Civil War had been settled since 1970.

The ACF also cautioned the Federal Government against negotiating with the Boko Haram sect.

The group asked the Buhari administration to shelve any plan, if any, to dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents because such attempts in the past had failed.

The ACF Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, said this at a news conference in Kaduna on Tuesday.

Coomassie said, “The agitators for this unholy division are in their safe abode outside Nigeria and the most painful aspect of this agitation by the young Ndigbo elements is the silence from the elders who experienced the bitter pill of the succession attempt, the 30-month Civil War and who knew the consequences of such a futile agitation.

“As you will recall, the issue of Biafra was settled in 1970 after the war. It is therefore sad and unfortunate that 45 years after, when Nigerians are now united in a democratic system of governance, that some elements are now busy drumming up support for another war and secession through ‘Radio Biafra’ and MASSOB activities.

“Only just over a week ago, an elder statesman from the South-East celebrated his birthday in Abuja with the launching of his two books. A good number of leaders from the South-East attended the event and as the activities progressed, it was nothing but Biafra with inciting and provocative speeches by one speaker after another.”

“ACF expects Ndigbo leaders to come out openly and condemn such agitations in the present day Nigeria, just as it and others condemned and berated the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.

“We cannot afford to transit from one insurgency into another.”

On the calls in some quarters that the Federal Government should negotiate with the Boko Haram sect, Coomasie such call should be discountenanced by the Federal Government.

He said, “So far, so good, things are going on as they should and very soon, we will finish off Boko Haram. If you recall, the Federal Government in the past proposed a dialogue and even set up a mediation group but the so-called dialogue collapsed.”