Quit notice: We thought we’ll be killed by assassins — Yerima

Four years after the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) gave Igbo quit notice to leave the Northern region, the convener of the CNG’s declaration, Yerima Shettima hinted that they were almost becoming prisoners during the period.

Shettima who was speaking for the first time on the saga disclosed in an interview in Kaduna at the weekend about their experience.

“We were afraid of our lives. We thought we will be killed by unknown assassins,” he stressed.

The Arewa youth leader, also recalled that the period was not easy as people might think, noting, “we were almost becoming prisoners as we can no longer move freely.”

“Even at home, we don’t have sound sleep. In fact, It was a very difficult period until the whole saga died down and a truce was reached.”

Commenting further, Shettima who is also the President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) said, it was the period the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wanted to test their will.

‘They wanted to provoke us because they have started killing  Northerners in the South East. They thought we will start killing Igbos too so that the whole country will be in flames.

According to him, the Arewa Youth got their antics and they refused to fall into their trap, saying, ‘we quickly rushed to Kano to announce that no youth should attack any southerner living in the north.

On the sit at home order in the South East, he noted that while it was unfortunate but the Arewa youth has made their position known that no sit at home in the north.

“We have warned the Igbo businessmen in the north that every Igbo that chose to close his shop in solidarity with the IPOB, we will lock his shop permanently and communicate with the authorities.”

“So far no Igbo has defaulted. We commend them for their maturity and their resolve to live in peace with their brothers in the region.”

In 2023, Yerima contended that Arewa Youths will not support any candidate who is above 60 years, saying, “we have made our position very clear that we will not pitch our tent with any old generation.”

“Anything from 60 is old. We will be looking forward to those that are in their 40s and 50s.

On restructuring, Shettima said, “I have been talking about this overconcentration of power and if we continue to do this, we will continue to have funny people with funny characters occupying some of these political spaces.”

“I am one of the voices in the northern part of the country today that believes in restructuring. My argument on this position is simple. The moment you overconcentrate, you continue to manage the centre as it is without decentralising it.

“We will continue to have people who are not even qualified to be ward councillors becoming senators and governors simply because they have godfathers or money at their disposal.”

“But the moment the centre is decentralised, give the region or the states certain autonomy whereby people can become anything they want to become through communities.

“I’m hopeful that I will be alive to see the day the centre will be dismantled. Let us have a centre that is less attractive where people will not make it a do or die affair to become the president of the country. The likes of Sardauna, Awolowo, Azikwe and the rest of them would not have done what they did under this arrangement.

“Even when Sardauna had the opportunity to go to the centre, he sent Tafawa Balewa because he preferred to be a regional leader and he did well. The young generation can learn from this. I was not there then when they did all they did but we can read and feel the impacts.”

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