The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum on Tuesday condemned in strong terms, what it referred to as the random arrest of 486 northerners in Abia State, over terror links.
The group said it was certain that virtually all the arrested northerners had no link with Boko Haram insurgents, warning South-East governors that labeling them terrorists was capable of widening the gulf between northerners and southerners.
AYCF President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, explained that the group was concerned that a continuation of such indiscriminate arrests could lead to the break-up of Nigeria.
“This gives us a lot of worry. Are these South-East governors or whoever is at the helms of affairs, doing this in the interest of this country or to cause more hatred for our people, so that the country will break up?” he asked.
Shettima continued: “Those who are acting out this script of disintegration are not helping this country, especially at this challenging period.
“We are not in support of Boko Haram or their bomb attacks. We are saying that innocent citizens should not suffer because some evil-minded people come from their area. I can tell you that those who were arrested in Abia are not Boko Haram members.
“We had a case where about 500 people arrested in Lagos. I intervened and on getting to the force headquarters, we discovered that most of them were innocent and they were released.
“We are not saying security agencies should not do their work, but they should not go about arresting hundreds of people just because they are looking for one or two suspects”.
Shettima also said it was wrong to assume that only northerners were planting bombs in the country, adding that some southerners had been arrested for terrorism.
He also gave the northern governors and other political leaders in the region knocks for keeping quiet in the face of northerners’ victimization.
Earlier, we reported that the Defence Headquarters had identified a wanted Boko Haram kingpin among the 486 suspects arrested while travelling in over 33 Hiace Hummer buses at night along Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway last Sunday.
I think Arewa Forum shouldn’t distrsact the security agencies in the discharge of their duty, what on earth would have made the suspects to travelled all the way from their state in such a convoy. Come to think of it, what was their intention if not for Divine Intervention. Where were Arewa all this why boko haram are striking? God Bless and preserve Nigeria.
Arewa youths or Arewa zombies are all product of Boko haram and so will act like them. How come they new that the arrested youths made up of chadians, Nigeriens and Malians with a few number of northerners are innocent? Why is the north trying to distract the security agencies from doing their job? Are the haramites in question arrested by eastern governors or the Nigerian military? Whatever way the north want it this time, the great Ibos are ready for them. They fought under the help of middle beltans the yorubas, and the south-south, yet, it took all of them 3years to subdue the Biafrans, this time around, it will be a different ball game….stupid people.
But the Boko Haram are killing innocent southerners. So in my opinion those people should be killed because it is the northerners who are selfish about unity of Nigeria. All southerners really want to separate.
someone should tell Mr shettima that at this point, no one really cares whether there will be a split or not. as a matter of fact, it is the principalities from the north that had hitherto been against the spitting of the country for obvious selfish reasons. as a matter of fact, what has been happening in the north is enough to split this country but for the tolerance of other regions. when people are killed in the north, there is no wahala, ordinary arrest here, Mr shettima jumps into conclusion that they are unfairly treated even when investigation has not finished and also when one of the so called travellers has been identified as boko haram kingpin.
If you don’t know anything about that ask people that are with the source, 33 new Haice buses in convoy going to an unknown distination and all of them from North, and when investigation was conducted on them, they said they are looking for job.
Which Job? where is the vacancy? They don’t know!
Let me also bring to your notice Mr. Shittima that 2 of the buses run away from the soldiers, so what will you say to that? My dear, there is more to this. Pls save your cry of mercy until they have being properly interrogated…
When d bh terror intensified in 2011 in borno, d army saw it as terrorism. they gave it d attention it deserved profesionally. bt d likes of shetima said it was an ordinary protest by some poor p’ple seeking gov attention to better their lot. shetima n co accused d soldiers of killing their brothers in d name of bh. so d army soft peddaled and bh spread like wild fire. 2day d army hs been vindicated. behold we are dealing wit terrorists. now shetima says those arrested in abia are nt bh, dat goes to say he knows much. how can a crowd of 486 be travling 2gether 4 d first time to a destination where they are blank aliens? moreso when d sect recently threatend to invade d area? who says bh cannot be traders, doctors, engineers etc they cut across all spheres of human edeavour dats y they’ve lasted till now. besides, d army did not say they are bh. they remain suspects till proven otherwise. LET D ARMY DO THEIR JOB SHETIMA or prove to us beyound reasonable doubt dat ur ‘brothers’ ar nt bh.
see those hatred-filled morons opening their filthy smelly mouth bcoz they heard the inevitable truth dat they dont want to hear. How can for Godsake arrest of more than 400 people be made just bcox they r notherners? Is been a northerner a crime nowadays? What about the teeming southerners residing here in the north blocking our chances of employment yet we live with dem without any hostility? U morons shuld think twice cox am very sure there r more southerners in the north than northerners in the south. We will start arresting those ur ugly-looking brothers nd sisters and start accusing them of treason against this country that is punishable by life imprisonment.
Aminu! U ar a bushmeat. Al majiri lyk u is talking. What did u people have to offer the southerners in the north. U are not even happy dat we igbos have come and develops ur bushy and forest area. To be sincere wit u, WE THE BIAFRAN REPUBLIC DONT WANT HAUSA/FULANIS IN OUR LAND. Bcos islam is terrorist.
as a kid, long b4 i went up north, i grew up in d south wit northarners all around me. we ate, played and even schooled 2gether. i love my northern friends till date. when i came up north, boy, i love d place. why would anyone ever insinuate dat people are arrested simply bcos the’re northers. i can asure u dat d northerners even enjoy more priviledges in d south dan d southerners themselves. hwever if dis case wil make d north victimise d south, which is nt new anyway, they should remember that no one has d monopoly of violence. d law must tk its cause no matter d threat.
Aminu U ar very stupid an coward, u think we dnt no dat ur brother shetima is one of the terrorist, dat y his state is still suffering,upon all the securities their he serves as a sabotage. Moreover where did such people get fund for those buses, and u upon all d peo dat ur brdas bh ar kilin u still have d guts talk of kilin sth in the nought dat shows dat u ar one and there ar many evidence to tell u dat dis country did not suppose to be one. Let me just stop here.
Aminu armed u are one of the boko haram terrorist, how are very stupid for making dis ur EVIL statement. Let me ask u how is the southerners disturbing u northerners 4rm getting job? U people think dat ASO ROCT is meant for u people?
@AMINU U MUST BURN IN HELL 4 DIS USELES COMENT. AS 4 DAT GOAT CALED SHETIMA, D TIME HAS COME TO DIFINE D MEANING OF N.G.E.R.I.A BUT UR ELDERS TOLD US U WIL SOON JOIN CAMEROON, WATS HOLDING U? SO U HAV DONE UR INVESTIGATION AND FOUND OUT D AR TRAVELERS AND NOT BOKO HARAM? WHICH MEANS U KNOW BOKO HARAM MENBERS? TRAVELERS INDEED! PLS IN WHICH PART OF NORTH AR U LIVING WIT D SOUTHENERS PEACFULY? HAS 16 YR OLD BOY FINISHED SCHOOL TO LOOK 4 JOB? WHY MUST IT B IN D EAST? IS THERE NO JOB IN D NORTH? WHY MUST D TRAVEL BY NIGHT? WHAT MADE 2 BUSES RAN AWAY IF D CONCINECE IS CLEAR? WHERE HAS THEY GONE TO NOW? NORTHERNERS AR KNOWN TO TRAVEL IN LORRIES AND TRUCKS WIT UR BROTHERS COWS AND GOATS SO AS NOT TO SPEND MONEY, WHY HUMMER BUS DIS TIME? WHO PAID 4 D TRANS FARE? WHY MUST IT B ONLY NORTHERNERS AR IN THOSE BUSES? WHAT ABOUT D WANTED TERORIST AMONG THEM? (MAY B THEIR LEADER)
lets seperate we want to be on our own. united nation take note. there wil b no election in 2015. if any igbo man is kiled in igboland .. wel let me reserve my comment.
We all nkw dat not all muslim are boko haram but all boko haram are muslim and illitrat,if not y on earth shuld a person look for job wit group of pepl wen d are illitrat ,thos dat look for job in d north hav aducational bagrown,so next tim d security should do mistak and kill all of dem(mumu boko haram membars)
Shettim may i ask you why must the number of the victim be so high and why must all of them moving the same direction and of the same tribe. Shettim there is no peace for the wick.
Fellow Nigerians, all this hatred won’t lead us anywhere. BH is a common enemy and must be treated as such. Extreme statements such as these can only fan the fires of hatred and this would in turn only complicate issues. Your reactions show that you are all very ignorant of what’s happening in this country. BH hates western education right? How many whites have they killed? You guys are calling for war as if its child’s play- can you guys fight? Ojukwu started a war he regretted….Evry country have people with differences but they are wise enough to settle down and address their issues. All of you are very stupid for your ignorance. May GOD wise you guys up