Arrest Ango Now, NYCN Tells FG

The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, on Saturday, June 10, 2017 called on the federal government to arrest Professor Ango Abdullahi, the spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF.

This call follows Abdullahi’s public support for the pre-genocide quit notice issued by a coalition of Northern ‘youth’ groups under the umbrella of Arewa organisations asking that Igbos living in the northern region of Nigeria vacate the region by October 1, 2017.

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.

The NEF spokesman told journalists in Zaria on Friday that it was hypocritical of the Igbo to continue to live in other parts of the country while agitating for Nigeria’s break up.

Addressing a world press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, the NYCN distanced itself from Abdullahi’s standpoint.

Isah Abubakar, president of the group, said should there be any crisis as a result of the uncivil declaration, Abdullahi and his family will fly out of the country and leave the innocent to pay with their blood.

“We are surprised with statement credited to our renown elder and academic, Professor Ango Abdullahi supporting the uncivil and illegal declaration that Igbos should vacate the north, Abubakar said.

“NYCN want to use this medium to dissociate itself from anti-Nigeria agenda for selfish reason. We are not happy with the development in all its ramifications.

“We are calling on federal government to extend its arrest order to Professor Ango Abdullahi and other people who must have sponsored the perpetrators of such a huge inciting statement capable of throng the country into another civil unrest while the country is yet to fully recovered from the previous one several decades after.”

Isah said the declaration does not in any way represent the collective voice or decision of any legitimate coalition of youth groups from the region as the council remains the apex youth organisation that has the right to announce any resolution of youths from the region.

He noted that any Nigerian citizen has the right to live and own property anywhere he or she chooses.