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#Biafra: Arewa Youth Coalition Gives 2 Weeks Ultimatum For Igbos To Quit North

Published

9 years ago

November 18, 2015

The Coalition of Arewa Youth Development Foundations (AYDF) has said is planning a meeting aimed at mounting pressure on Igbo’s residing or carrying out business in any part of the North to relocate to the South-east just as all Northerners residing in the South-east should return back to the north.
Towards this end, the Northern youth groups therefore issued a two week ultimatum for all northerners residing in any part of the Eastern Nigeria to return home and for Igbos residing in any part of the northern region to act likewise.
The coalition of Northern youth explained that its action is necessitated by the renewed threat of secession by Igbo’s secessionist group which is being backed by some of their governments and leaders by humiliating and harassing petty Northern traders and others residents in the South-east by the Igboterror groups.
The Coalition also urged the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to as a matter of urgency act quickly by taking a position on the
humiliation of northerners in the hands of Igbo Biafra in parts of the South-east geo-political zone and their governments.
The group said towards this end, it would soon convey a meeting of all northern youth groups in Kano to review the commitment of Northern leaders and actions on their previous communication in respect of the agitation by the Igbos.
The Northern youth coalition in a strongly worded letter jointly signed by Barr. Aliyu Usman of AYDF, Hon. Aminu Adams Arewa Citizens Action for Change(ACAC) Bridget Cantiop Yahya Northern Emancipation Network (NEN), Comrade Yusuf Muhammed of Arewa Students Forum (ASF) and Terkular J.Bishama. Of Arewa Youth vanguard (AYV), and made available to newsmen in Kaduna.
The statement explained that the meeting would map out plans for wide spread and sustained protest to ensure that severance of the present federal arrangement that includes the Igbo’s as a federating unit is halted.
The group further said its action is as a result of outright utterances by Eastern governments and leaders that tend to declare all Northerner residents or passing by the East as persona non granta.
“On the 16th of July 2014, a coalition of over 50 northern youth groups matched to the palace of the Emir of Kano under the aegis of Arewa Youth Development Foundation and submitted a position paper in reaction to the humiliation of northerners in the East by the Igbo Biafras and their stategovernments,” the statement noted.‎
The youth decried the move by Eastern state governments to impose residence permits on all northerners residing or carrying out business in their states.