From Kano to Bauchi, Niger, Sokoto and Kaduna, governors warned against reprisal attacks in response to what they called “happenings in the South East.”
It was learnt that spirited efforts were made Thursday night and Friday morning by the governors, emirs and other leaders to prevail on Imams not to use the violence in the South East as themes of their Juma’at sermons.
Previous ethnic attacks in the North over the years were stoked during Friday prayers.
While commitments to peace were being extracted from Imams and other religious leaders, the governors followed up with tough security presence on the streets, press releases and broadcasts, warning against “reprisal attacks’ by their people.
The governors also declared that security forces will remain at alert across the northern part of the country to forestall breakdown of law and order.
The spokesman of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, made this known in a statement on Friday, even as he commended residents across the North for being non-violent in the face of clashes between members of IPOB and soldiers in Abia State.
Kaduna
Following the dust-to-dawn curfew imposed in Jos, the Plateau State, capital by the state government as a result of the anti-Biafran protest, Igbo traders in Kaduna, on Friday, closed their shops for the fear of the unknown.
This was even as the state government and the police assured the citizens and residents of the state of the determination of the government to protect the lives and property of the people.
It was gathered that the leadership of the Igbo and Yoruba communities held a meeting with the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Agyole Abeh, on Thursday, in which he urged them to go about their normal businesses.
When Saturday Tribune visited the popular Ahmadu Bello Way, Ali Akilu Way, Jos Road, Abeokuta Street, Katsina Street, Lagos Street, Zaria Road, Benin Street and Warri Street where there were large concentration of Igbo shop owners, the shops and stalls were under key and lock.
Meanwhile, Jama’tul Nasir Islam (JNI) has called on northern youths and Muslims all over the country to eschew bitterness and remain calm, even as it implored them not to hold any grievances towards any group or individual for the betterment of the country.
Addressing a press conference at its headquarters in Kaduna on Friday, the Secretary General of JNI, Dr Khalid Abubakar, said the call became imperative for JNI, as an Islamic body with the mandate to always ensure the peaceful co-existence of Nigerians.
Ganduje assures non-indigenes adequate security in Kano
In Sabongari Market and other commercial areas in Kano, shops and stalls belonging to Igbo traders were shut throughout Friday, for the same fear of reprisal attacks.
However, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, on Friday, assured non-indigenes living in the state that his administration would remain committed towards promoting peace and security.
He described as unfortunate the incidents in Abia State and some parts of the South East as an attempt to cause unnecessary tension and instability in the country.
The governor, who spoke during a meeting with leaders of different ethnic groups in Kano, however appealed to youths, especially in the northern part of the country not to engage in reprisal attacks.
“We have called you to give you confidence and to let you know that we are not asleep. We are working very hard, coordinating with various stakeholders to ensure peace prevails,” he said.
Governor Ganduje told the ethnic leaders that his administration was in contact with all relevant segments of the society, to ensure that nobody was harmed and that everybody goes about his business without fear of intimidation.
Also speaking, President, Ethnic Communities in Kano, Dr Jimpat Ayelangbe, urged the governor to use his influence among his colleagues to ensure that the national unity was not threatened in any part of the country.
Also commenting, President, Igbo Community in Kano, Chief Ebenezer Chima and the Chief of Edo Community, Chief Fred Akhegbe, disassociated their communities from what they described as “unfortunate developments in the East”, saying they would do everything possible to help in maintaining harmony and security in Kano.
Shops under lock in Bauchi, as Gov Abubakar warns against breakdown of law and order
In order to ensure safety of lives and properties of residents, a joint security patrol was conducted round the Bauchi metropolis, the Bauchi State capital, on Thursday and Friday.
The security patrol which was made up of armed military, police and NSCDC personnel drove round the metropolis and later all the areas known to be flash points in order to nip any reprisals in the bud.
Saturday Tribune noticed that most shops belonging to mostly Easterners did not open for business, while those that opened operated on skeletal basis for fear of attacks.
When Saturday Tribune went round Bauchi metropolis it was noticed that Muslims went about their Juma’at prayers peacefully with some of the Imams, calling for restraint and caution in the country.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State government has warned against the breakdown of law and order in the state by any group or individuals.
This was contained in a statement signed by Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar who condemned in strong terms the disturbances in the South East region of the country and urged the people to desist from fanning the embers of disunity by spreading hate and falsehood statements especially on the social media.
“I note with deep concern the needless disturbances in some parts of the South East, causing fear and uncertainty, especially in the affected areas. I, therefore, condemn strongly these callous acts and sue for calm, especially among those who feel hurt and aggrieved and may, therefore, be tempted to take the laws into their hands,” he said.
Gov Bello warns against reprisal attacks in Niger
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State issued a stern warning against any attempt to breach the relative public peace and tranquility in the state, insisting that the state is for all Nigerians.
The governor said the unfortunate security challenge in the South East, fueled by hate speeches, violent agitation, rumour and sentiment on social media, should not be the basis for any attempt at reprisal attacks on innocent citizens.
Bello, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace, noted that it was the duty of the state government to protect lives and property of its citizens and would, therefore, not compromise in carrying out its constitutional responsibility.
The governor further said the state security apparatus has been mobilised and put on red alert to immediately commence patrol, particularly within the areas identified as hotspot, to nip in the bud any attempt to cause civil disobedience and unrest in the state.
He said the state government would not fold its arms and allow some overzealously repugnant individuals hold people to ransom by instilling fear, anxiety and tension among them for their selfish end.
2 killed in Jos, Lalong sues for peace
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has disclosed that two people died in a fracas that ensued between the Igbo and Hausa in Jos, the capital of Plateau State on Thursday, declaring that the state however remains home for all, irrespective of religion, ethnic extraction or political affiliations.
The governor, who disclosed that two people were killed shortly after his meeting with leaders of various communities in the state, on Friday, said the meeting was a result of the tension and threat of reprisal attack by some people in the state.
He however assured the citizens and residents of the state of his administration’s commitment to peace and stability, adding that everybody, irrespective of their tribes, religion and political affiliations, were free to reside in any part of the state and do their legitimate business without any fear of molestation.
“The tension took us by surprise. I call on community and religious leaders to caution their wards at home as any culprit arrested would not go scot-free as nobody is above the law. I also want to assure all citizens that their security and welfare are paramount to my administration,” the governor said.
He appealed to all religious and community leaders, neighbourhood vigilantes as well as all law-abiding people of the state to ensure that nobody was allowed to take advantage of the situation to engage in any criminal act.
In a related development, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Plateau State chapter, has appealed to the Muslim Ummah and the general public to shun acts capable of disrupting the hard-earned peace in the state.
Also, the Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN) appealed to the people and residents of the state to shun acts capable of disrupting the hard-earned peace in the state.
FG needs support to end agitations —Masari
Against the backdrop of ongoing clashes between the military and IPOB members in the South East, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has called for support for government’s efforts to end agitations in the country.
Speaking in Abuja to State House correspondents after observing Friday prayers at the Aso Villa Mosque, he said the rise of agitations across the country must not be overlooked as it was with the Boko Haram during its early phase.
He said the near neglect of the insurgency earlier on almost made it uncontrollable, adding: “When we heard of the problem of Boko Haram in this country when it started, we all looked the other way and it nearly consumed the nation.
“So, under this circumstance, any agitation that is likely to lead the nation to the kind of problem we had, I think all Nigerians should support the government and put a stop to it.”
The governor said his administration has taken all necessary measures to maintain peace in Katsina in the midst of rising tension in the country and assured of the safety of lives and property in the state, irrespective of the origins of the residents.
Wike warns IPOB to stay off Rivers
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has declared that the state government will not tolerate any attack on other Nigerians living in the state by members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) or any other group.
The governor said the state belongs to all those who live in it to carry their lawful businesses and accused operatives of the state Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of deliberately sabotaging the state’s security architecture.
Wike, in a state broadcast on the state security situation on Friday, said: “Rivers people fully subscribe to Nigeria’s corporate existence and its indivisibility. As a people, we shall continue to support the unity and peaceful co-existence of all ethnic nationalities and work towards actualising our collective aspirations for a just, inclusive and progressive nation.”
Muslims pray under tight security in Jigawa
Muslim faithful conducted their weekly Friday congregational prayers under tight security as security personnel cordoned off mosques and took over all the streets of Dutse, the capital city of Jigawa State.
Saturday Tribune gathered that the combination of heavily armed joint security personnel were drafted in all the mosques and other public places in the state capital and other major towns in the state, even as some teams of military, police, Civil Defense Corps, DSS and other security personnel were on patrol in Dutse.
When contacted, the Jigawa State Police Public Relation Officer, SP Abdu Jinjiri, said it was a “show of force”, adding that it was a routine security measure to keep in check members of the public and criminal elements in particular.
The Jigawa State police image-maker dismissed speculations that the security measure had anything to do with outbreak of crisis in some states, noting that “our activity is not in any way in relation with any break of peace. We are peaceful here and security agencies are on top of all situations.”
“Jigawa State is peaceful. We are just conducting a show of force as a normal routine exercise to alert the residents of the state that we are physically and morally fit and able to protect their lives and property, nothing more than that,” he said.
Nasarawa govt assures residents of safety
Nasarawa State government has assured residents of the state of their safety in the face of the ongoing crisis in the South East which is currently provoking reprisal attack in some parts of the North. The Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Silas Agara, gave the assurance shortly after a security council meeting at the Government House, Lafia, on Friday.
He stated that the security agents would embark on proper surveillance and people can go about their normal businesses without any fear of intimidation.
The deputy governor added that the state government and security agencies would continue to interface and strategise on how to continue to maintain law and order in the state.
OPC condemn deployment of soldiers, calls for dialogue
More condemnation has continued to trail the deployment of soldiers to the South East part of Nigeria as the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) described it as the “militarisation of some part of the East under the Operation Python Dance”.
The group described the deployment of the troops as “the obvious attempt to arrest the growing influence of the Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB, even as it canvassed dialogue to the military option in resolving the issues at stake.
OPC, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Yinka Oguntimehin and made available to Saturday Tribune, also said “the agitation of IPOB would be fruitfully addressed through dialogue rather than the military option being adopted by the Federal Government.”
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