By Dipo Olowookere
Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasir El-Rufai, has ordered the arrest of the northern youth leaders, who addressed a press conference yesterday in the state, directing Ndigbos in the north to leave the region within three months.
The threat generated reactions with many Nigerians, including the Ohaneze Ndigbo, condemning the coalition of northern youths.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Mr Samuel Aruwan, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mr El-Rufai condemned the threat, but assured every resident of the state that nobody can tamper with their freedom to reside where they choose.
The Governor said the constitutional right of every Nigerian to own property, move freely and to live in peace and harmony was sacrosanct.
Mr El-Rufai strongly condemned what he described as “inciting, hate speech delivered by some self-appointed ‘northern youths’ seeking to target and violate the rights of our citizens of Igbo extraction.”
“The Kaduna State Government takes exception to the fact that the ‘northern youths’ did their irresponsible press conference in Kaduna.
“This government has been consistent in taking action to punish hate speech and incitement. People who may feel unhappy about irresponsible comments or actions that have taken place in other states must know that two wrongs cannot make a right, and they cannot use our state to do or say things that threaten the peace.
“KDSG has therefore ordered the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the signatories to the statement.
“The Kaduna State Government condemns in the strongest terms the press statement by some self-appointed ‘northern youths’ that threatened the safety and property of our citizens of Igbo extraction.
“Government assures every resident of our state that their constitutional and human rights to live peacefully and own property wherever they choose is sacrosanct.
“Even people who may feel unhappy about irresponsible comments or actions that have taken place in other states must know that two wrongs cannot make a right.
“The Kaduna State Government believes in and will uphold the right of every Nigerian to live safely and develop his/her full potentials within its territory.
“Reckless disregard for the rights of other citizens drips through the press statement by these ‘northern youths’ who have chosen to use the discourse around restructuring to promote their own agenda of hate, division and incitement.
“This sort of opportunists cannot be allowed to distort debate, or turn it into a pretext for a barely-disguised agenda of displacement and dispossession of some citizens.
“We will not tolerate such irresponsible statements and conduct in our state. The statement issued by the ‘northern youths’ violates the laws of Kaduna State.
“Therefore, the Kaduna State Government has directed that its Ministry of Justice should prepare charges and prosecute the signatories and anyone complicit in arranging this egregious assault on the rights of fellow citizens.
“Preparatory to the prosecution, the police have been directed to immediately arrest, interrogate the signatories to the statement and investigate all the circumstances and persons that may be implicated in the matter,” the statement said.
“The Kaduna State Government urges all residents to ignore the threats from the ‘northern youths’. We are in contact with the leadership of the Igbo community in Kaduna, and we delighted to say that this community, like all our other communities, believes in the strength of the constitutional order to protect all citizens.
“KDSG wishes to encourage all our people to celebrate the diversity with which the Almighty has blessed us, to continue to shun agents of division, and to stand firm in upholding a common humanity. Everyone has a right to live in peace and harmony,” the statement concluded.
