Uromi Killings: Group wants Northerners in South, West to return home

Members of the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) have insisted on the return of all Northerners back to the North who are currently residing in the Southern and Western parts of the country following the gruesome murder of Northern hunters who were beaten and burnt to death in Udene community, Uromi Local Government Area of Edo […]

Members of the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) have insisted on the return of all Northerners back to the North who are currently residing in the Southern and Western parts of the country following the gruesome murder of Northern hunters who were beaten and burnt to death in Udene community, Uromi Local Government Area of Edo State.

The group who made this declaration via a press statement expressed their anger, displeasure, and resentment over this tragic and unfortunate event.

The statement which was signed by its chairman, Alhaji Ali Muhammad, reads: “The Northern people are fed up; we will neither tolerate this injustice nor fold our arms and watch our people being butchered without the relevant authorities and Government not living up to the expectations of the constitution, which is protecting the lives and properties of its citizens as well as preventing the occurrence of such incidences.

“It is disrespectful to us and a bridge of trust that while the Northern people are law-abiding, peace-loving, accommodating, and highly hospitable to members of other ethnic groups and religions from all parts of the country, they are massacred in a senseless and barbaric manner with their properties worth billions of Naira been destroyed. It has happened in the South East, South West, and virtually all regions of the country. We demand an end to this nonsense, we want it to stop, and it must stop now.

“The Northern Forum, despite appreciating Governor Monday Okpebholo’s visit to Kano, insists that a mere visit is not enough. We want the Government to get the perpetrators of this evil act and make them face the wrath of the law, families of the victims must be compensated in the best possible way. To prevent the future occurrence of this nonsense, precedence must be set, justice must be served in all ramifications.

“Aside from the rational and legal approach that involves the above steps, it should be clearly understood that no one has a monopoly on violence and lawlessness. Consequently, we are cautioning that a reprisal attack is very much possible in all states of the North including FCT Abuja because it appears that is the only language that speaks, matching action with action since the relevant authorities have refused to take decisive and necessary action to permanently ending the killing of our people, allowing the perpetrators to serve as role models and giving inspiration and blueprint for the occurrence of such attacks in future.

“We feel our people are targeted for death and their properties destroyed; they are not safe any longer once they leave the North. To prevent subsequent happenings, therefore, all Northerners are urged to come back home and focus on building a home of ours, which will surely flourish and prosper with peace, progress, and development.”