The South East Senate Caucus on Thursday asked Igbos residing in the North to ignore the quit order handed down by some Arewa youths.
The Caucus in a statement in Abuja by its Chairman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe described the quit order by the Arewa youths as poisonous, irresponsible and one that was aimed at dealing a deadly blow to Nigeria’s unity.
Abaribe said Section 41 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, firmly guaranteed the right of “every Nigerian to move freely in and reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom”.
“So nobody or groups of persons have the right to abridge the right of the Igbo or any other Nigerian for that matter”, he said.
The Caucus nonetheless asked the people to be very cautious and vigilant while going about their normal businesses, especially when viewed from the fact that the security agencies became lethargic in the face of the treasonable threat by the so-called Arewa youths.
“It is alarming that neither the police nor the DSS were fortcoming to effect arrest or even issue any serious warning, more than twenty-four hours after the open threat laced with a three month deadline.
“We consider the cold feet of the relevant security agencies in the circumstance as sinister and one that cast ominous sign in the corporate existence of Nigeria”, Abaribe said.
However, the caucus appealed to the Federal government to direct the security agencies to be above board and nip this dangerous and highly divisive threat in the bud, in the interest of the country’s unity.
