RE: MASSACRE OF 16 NORTHERN HUNTERS IN UROMI EDO STATE

 

We the concerned people of Northern Nigeria on behalf of the grieving families of the 16 innocent victims massacred in Uromi Edo state, do hereby declare as follows:

 

1. This cruel and senseless massacre is one too many and therefore raises a lot of pertinent issues with respect to the rights and privileges of northerners irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, gender or creed in Nigeria. It appears that northerners are not entitled to the same rights as other Nigerians especially from the south.

 

2. ⁠The Edo incident is not an isolated case but is a repetition of an all familiar pattern of unleashing senseless, unprovocked violence, destruction of property and the killings of northerners at will in the southern part of the country.  

 

Since the inception of the 4th republic, we have witnessed the OPC killings in the south west, IPOB and the so called unknown gunmen in the south east and the recent Edo killings of 16 hunters in the south south in addition to the isolated destruction of goods and properties, maimings and killings of innocent northerners pursuing their legitimate interests in the south.

 

This pattern is making it abundantly clear that northerners are persona non grata in the south, while southerners are freely welcome to pursue their interests and even permanently settle in the north in peace and security unhindered.

 

3. Northerners have all along been restrained and placated by their elders against retaliation in the face of all these provocations. But, the situation has now reached a stage whereby our dignity and integrity as a people is being severely compromised and questioned by our people in the circumstances of our inability to defend them.

 

We can no longer appeal or restrain our people to continue remaining peaceful and accomodating due to the obvious negligence of their interests or even lives all for the sake of a non existent national unity. This is the last time that the north will be pacified on any infringement on its legitimate right to freely move and pursue its interests in any part of the country without any molestations, intimidations, harassments or violence.

 

Any maltreatment of northerners will henceforth be considered as deliberate and not accidental and will make us to be indifferent as in calling our law abiding people for any restraint in whatsoever they decides to do in defense of their lives and  human dignity!

 

4. ⁠While we have noted Governor Okphebolo of Edo state visit to Kano state government and the families of the victims, we are demanding for a transparent investigation  of the whole massacre   as well as the prompt and adequate payment of compensation to the families of the victims.

 

5. We unequivocally reject and will resist the continuing attempt to profile people of the north as terrorists, bandits and cattle rustlers in order to criminalize and systematically exterminate them by using the instrumentality of the law as a cover.

 

We are therefore urging the federal government to as a matter of urgency, address the national question immediately in order to determine viability and possibility of our continued existence as a single corporate entity with equal rights and privileges as citizens of Nigeria.

 

We are aware and watching the Tinubu’s government attempt to introduce regionalism through the back door. We welcome the quest for self determination but we insist that all parts of Nigeria must come together to discuss and agree on the way forward.

Dr Bugaje, 

Prof. Usman, 

Naja'atu Muhammad 

Dalung, 

Gen. A.M.Jalingo, 

Chief Ameh