As President Muhammadu Buhari arrives the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly, Northern leaders have raised the alarm that the embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has mobilised Nigerians living in the country to attack the President.
The Arewa people, under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, alleged, yesterday, in a mail sent to Vanguard that the plan by IPOB sponsors was to humiliate President Buhari, who is billed to speak at UNGA.
In the mail signed by the spokesman of CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the northern leaders said the action was also intended to further provoke the northerners and incite the world against the President and his government but the northern group vowed to make appropriate response to the IPOB provocation by taking its position against the antics of the proscribed organization to the UN.
The northern group, however, hailed the South-East governors for proscribing IPOB as soon as it was declared a terrorist group by the Defence Headquarters, saying they had been vindicated by such declarations. CNG also lauded the governments of Abia, Rivers and Plateau states for promptly arresting the move by IPOB to set the country on war path and kill innocent Nigerians in the process.
The northern group said:
“We must state here that our position that IPOB be proscribed, its activities be declared as acts of terror, and its leaders be accordingly treated in the interest of a greater, peaceful and united Nigeria has to a large extent been vindicated which is also reassuring and encouraging. “We also wish to state that we have a priviledged information that IPOB sponsors are mobilizing their members in the Diaspora to humiliate our dear President Muhammadu Buhari in New York where he is billed to address the United Nations General Assembly. “We call on Nigerians to as well overlook this planned unpatriotic action by the IPOB supporters as it is nothing but another antic to provoke reactions. “We assure all peace loving Nigerians that CNG is also preparing to counter IPOB’ foreign propaganda efforts by compiling relevant facts to be presented personally to the UN soon. “Finally, we reiterate the call for calm and tolerance as the authorities diligently carry out their duties.”