Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters has assured Nigerians on their safety saying that the infamous quit notice issued to Igbos by a group of Northern youth is unconstitutional and should be ignored.
In an e-mailed statement to The Trent on Friday, June 23, 2017 in Abuja, the director of defence information, Major General John Enenche disclosed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are constantly on surveillance and in collaboration with other security agencies to curb acts capable of distorting the peace.
“There has been so many requests in the recent past, to know from the military about the safety of Nigerians living in parts of the country, other than their aboriginal habitats,” the statement said.
“As such, it behoves on the Defence Headquarters has reassured the general public that all lives and property in Nigeria are secured and safe at any location they reside,” the statement said.
He requested members of the general public to immediately report suspicious movements and any act that points to creating any situation of insecurity to lives and property to the nearest security agency.
“Other means such as the Nigerian Army call Centre, short code 193 and email: [email protected] should be readily utilised,” the statement said.
“The Armed Forces hereby reaffirms its commitment to protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians living in any part of the country.
“Therefore, all should go about their normal life wherever they are living without fear or intimidation.
“Meanwhile the Defence Headquarters wishes to notify the General Public, Ministries, Departments, and various Agencies in Nigeria, that the Nigerian Army has established an Information Call Centre where it could be easily reached for the purpose of information sharing. “The dialling short code call number is 193 and the e-mail address to send message is: [email protected] .
“The centre is to provide a platform for gathering and sharing of information for quick intervention, in view of the security challenges being witnessed across the country.
“Ministries, Departments, Agencies and the General public are hereby urged to take note and make effective use of the Nigerian Army Call Centre to provide timely information on suspicious persons or movements, as well as criminal elements in the society, for prompt action.”
Leave The North By October 1 – Arewa Groups Warn Igbos
A coalition of prominent groups in Northern Nigeria on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 issued an ultimatum to Igbos living in the north to return home by October 1, 2017 or else they will face a situation similar to the pre-civil war pogroms visited on their kin in the 1960s.
The order was contained in an error-ridden statement, obtained by The Trent, issued after a meeting in Kaduna State. The groups, Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students Forum, and the Northern Emancipation Network, asked the Igbo residing in the region to “start making plans to leave.”
The chilling statement condemned the renewed call for the independent republic of Biafra and also expressed disdain for the Igbos and their culture saying that “the Igbo people of the South-East, not repentant of the carnage it wrought on the nation in 1966, is today boldly reliving those sinister intentions connoted by the Biafran agitation that led to the very first bloody insurrection in Nigeria’s history”.
In 1966, the Igbos were the victims of the largest genocide in Nigeria’s history with over 100,000 of them killed in Northern Nigeria by northern mobs. This pogrom led to the declaration of the Republic of Biafra which led to the Nigerian civil war in which over 3 million Igbos died.
The northern groups’ threat to Igbos is now widely referred to as the Kaduna Declaration and has been widely condemned by public officials and political groups. However, it has also received wide support from northern elements like Professor Abdullahi.
