The Unified Nigerian Youth Forum, UNYF, has cautioned Nigerians not to allow the killing of the former Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Barrister Ahmed Gulak trigger an inter-ethnic war between Northerners and Easterners.
A statement by the forum’s President, Comrade Abdulsalam Mohammed Kazeem, said, “Our attention has been drawn to the cold-blooded murder of Barr. Ahmed Gulak in Owerri and Hon. Justice Stanley Nnaji in Enugu state, respectively, the deaths of these two individuals stand unreservedly condemned.
“Conflict entrepreneurs and some forces are trying to trigger an inter-ethnic war between Northerners and the people of Eastern region. Their plan will never see the light of the day, InshaAllah, because we are at war already, considering the happenings in Northern Region. Despite the combined efforts of all stakeholders, we have nothing or little to show that we are winning the war against Boko Haram, kidnapping, and Banditry.”
The statement noted that the Nigerian government has been fighting terrorism in North East in the last ten years alone and has allotted a significant percentage of the country’s budget annually to the fight at the expense of Education, health, human capital development, infrastructure, research, and development.
The forum explained that the two weeks ultimatum given to the executive Governor of Imo State over the gruesome murder of Bar. Gulak by the leadership of Northern Youth Council of Nigerian and National Youth Council Of Nigeria (North East branch) is uncalled for because the Imo State Police Command has stated the current happenings within the state.
It added that to be fair to the police force, despite the shortage in its personnel and workforce, they could engage and apprehend the perpetrators of the cowardly act within a concise period of time, contrary to the past experiences with force.
The forum noted that elites have also been killed in the North, including traditional leaders and retired army generals by the bandits, stressing that IPOB killed a former Judge in Enugu State less than 20 hours ago as the Southerners have their own similar experience to cry out.
The forum explained that what Nigerians are witnessing is an affirmation that Nigeria is in crisis. The crisis is recurrent and not limited to Imo State alone or the Eastern region.
Instead of looking at the crisis based on region, the group noted that it urged Nigerians to promote national unity at all times, as concerned citizens and stakeholders and the civil society to avert any ethnic clash now.
The group lamented that Nigerians are not only saddled with agitations but escalating and dangerous violent crimes across the country, pointing out that criminals now take a position behind ethnic and religious justification to avoid a date with the law.
“The narration of hatred, violence, dismemberment have taken over our nation, threatening our national unity and collective patrimony, we have never been so divisive, hate laced as currently seen today,” the forum noted.
The Unified Nigerian Youth Forum also called on the youths in the country to remain calm, law-abiding, and vigilant more than ever, to put away personal, religious, and tribal sentiments for the benefit of the country, but to fight collectively together in other to rescue the country and children unborn.
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