Biafra Nations Youth League threatens to attack the north if Igbos living there are expelled

PAN-Igbo organisation the Biafra Nations Youth League (BNYL) has threatened to force Nigerians of northern extraction out of the southeast and south-south geo-political zones if the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) carries out its threat against them.

Earlier this week, the CNG gave the federal government a 30-day ultimatum to begin implementing a Ruga settlement programme that would force state governors to hand over their land to Fulani cattle herdsmen. This was in response to a decision by the federal government to abandon the programme in the midst of fierce opposition to it from across the country as ill-thought and unworkable.

Nigeria's Land Use Act vests the control of land in the 36 state governors, so before the federal government can embark on any project, it needs the state government to grant it land. Despite the federal abandoning the scheme, the CNG decided to heat up the political temperature by issuing an ultimatum that the decision be reversed.

Responding to the CNG threat, BNYL said that should Nigerians from the southeast and south-south be evicted from the north of the country after the expiration of the ultimatum, northerners would similarly be  evicted from the two zones. It added that it does not see any reason why northerners would be safe in the east whereas the easterners were being threatened in the north.

Ebuta Victor Takon, the deputy leader of BNYL and the head of operations of the Biafra Broadcasting Service, said his group would take appropriate measures to expel northerners, especially the Fulani if CNG leader Abdul Azeez Suleman and his association did not withdraw their threat. Mr Takon said his group will make sure that the Biafra youths were armed by every means possible to defend themselves against any attack.

He added: “Only a fool will sit in his house and watch himself killed when he knows what to do. I think this time we will not only be on the defensive angle, we will invade the north, as it is only weak people that wait for their enemies to invade their lands to attack them while they continue to defend.

“We were on defensive side in 1967-1970 Biafra war but this time around, we will mobilise to invade the north, it is not a mouth but fact. Let them take time to do research about us, we are not noise makers, those who are from towns close to the creeks in the Niger Delta and Bakassi Peninsula will attest to the fact that we are never noise makers.

“They want to see what we are made up of and we will gladly show them. We could be very dangerous even as we are non violent.

“They thought we lack arms, we don’t. What the sponsors of these Fulani invaders do not know is that it is easier for us to acquire arms that are more deadlier than theirs if we decide to follow the pattern of creek militants.

“This Fulani menace is not ordinary, they are being sponsored by high profiles in the north to conquer the south. If care is not taken they will succeed but not in our generation unless generations yet unborn will allow that.