Magnus Eze, Enugu
Middle Belt and southern youths, known as Citizens Against Tyranny, have cautioned the coalition of northern groups which recently issued a 30-day ultimatum for the suspended RUGA settlement policy to be implemented or they would move against southerners resident in the north, to stop beating drums of war.
Describing the policy as a clear annexation scheme, they vowed that no millimetre of land would be ceded in the south and middle belt for RUGA; or any of such activity.
These were contained in a communiqué issued, yesterday, by the International Coordinator, Igbo Renaissance Forum (IRF), Nze Ugo-Akpe Onwuka, President General Midwest Movement, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, President, Middle Belt Youth Council (MBYC), Emma Zopmal, National President, Yoruba Youth Council (YYC), Eric Oluwole; and Coordinator, Awake Nigeria UK, Otunba Olu Osiyemi.
The group said it would not entertain any acts capable of endangering the lives of their people.
“We have made our stand very clear as a people that, “no single millimetre of land in the South West, South East, Middle Belt and the South South shall be annexed under any name, Ruga, or its disguised equivalent.
“We also demand that the Federal Fovernment should desist with immediate effect from any further action on Ruga settlements in the Middle Belt and southern regions of the country; as it has the propensity of igniting a civil war.
“We shall be standing firm and strong, to ensure that any form of intimidation or violence against Southern Nigerian populations in the North of Nigeria is met and responded to in equal measure and terms.
“We are also putting the international community on red alert as to the impending implosion being consistently pushed by these divisive entities in Nigeria.”
The group categorically condemned the divisive utterances of the self-acclaimed leader of the northern coalition, Abdul Azeez Suleman, and called for his immediate arrest and prosecution.
Continuing, they stated: “We are 100 per cent solidly behind Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Afenifere, PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum; on their stand on this very issue and would want to state categorically that it is lawless, irresponsible and treasonable for such threats to national security to be allowed without any eye brows raised by a government that has sought in the recent past to take away civil liberties on the flimsy excuse of trying to maintain national security.
“Let those clowns know that the southern Nigerians they seek to visit with violence shall surely not fold their arms and wait to be maimed and killed!
“We still have the option of calling for a referendum, to renegotiate this space and restructure Nigeria, to avoid a major conflagration, courtesy of such ill-advised and venomous threats from a section of the country who think they have the monopoly of violence.”