Arewa Group: Close all shops supporting IPOB

Arewa Group refused to join IPOB sit-at-home campaign, no part of the North should join says group president warns .

Arewa Youth Consultative Forum has rejected the recent call by the Indigenous People Of Biafra on the Middle Belt people to join its sit-at-home campaign, warning that no section of the north should be a party to “a deliberate, politically-motivated plan to undermine or worsen the nation’s current security challenges.”

In a statement by the group’s National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, in Kaduna on Monday, the AYCF said, “The North has come a long way in understanding the use of constitutional and democratic means of channelling legitimate grievances, and cannot, therefore, be a party to any undemocratic move”.

The AYCF further noted that it appears that the governors of the South-East are satisfied with the activities of IPOB.

The group stated, “We hope they will continue with the sit-at-home for another ten years and we wish them the very best of luck. We know the southeast is IPOB’s home but exporting their activities to the north will be faced with massive resistance from all lovers of peace in the north.”

“We call on Northern Governors to step up action in order to ensure this outlawed terror gang called IPOB does not infiltrate the region. We also expect the governors to ensure that any northerner who shuts down his shop in solidarity with IPOB, that shop should be sealed forever.

“And for the avoidance of doubt, we will not fold our arms and watch the north get further destabilized by a violent strategy, whether in Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Niger or any state in northern Nigeria because our hands are already full with challenges of insecurity and we are praying fervently day and night to find lasting peace”.

AYCF, in the statement, took a swipe at what it described as the use of killings and arson to press home a demand that the democratic process in existence would have taken care of.

“We call on northerners of good conscience to avoid any undemocratic means, including the burning of government-owned structures, where fellow Nigerians legitimately work to feed their families,” the statement added.

Yarima was the first Nigerian Governor to implement Sharia law in his state, which came into effect on 27 January 2000.
This was greeted with enthusiasm by the state’s Muslim majority; thousands of people gathered on the streets of Gusau cheered and shouted “God is great”.   Sharia implementation bodies were established in Zamfara, including the Council of Ulama, Hisbah Commission, Zakkat and Endowment Board, Sharia Research and Development Board, and the Preaching Commission.