Youths under the aegis of Southern and Middle Belt Allied Youths (SAMBAY) have replied their northern counterparts over the alleged threat the Arewa Youth Forum (AYF) issued against a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, warning that nothing must happen to the Ex-Minister.
A statement jointly signed by Fidelis Ujah (Middle Belt), Onyema Ukachukwu (South East) and Mustapha Olasubomi (South West) after an emergency meeting on Sunday warned that the Ex-Minister must not be intimidated for making a critique of the current All Progressives Congress, APC-led government.
The group said it knows that it is the AYF that is pursuing purely selfish interests by insisting that power must remain in the north when their definition of “north” has clearly over the years excluded the middle belt region. The meeting was called by the group to discuss the alleged threats that, according to it, have not only been issued by what it termed northern elements against Femi Fani-Kayode but also against the other parts of the country in recent times as regards permutations for 2019.
It also wondered why Arewa would think it can continue to deceive the Middle Belt to curry their support when it needs political power but would immediately abandon them afterwards. “We wonder where these Arewa Youths have been all this while that their cousins, the Fulani herdsmen terrorists, have been killing citizens with impunity in Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau and such other states.
They never condemned them because they do not see people from these parts as one of them except for election purposes. Even in Southern Kaduna that is further up north, indigenes were killed without these Arewa saying anything. “We find their silence on these issues most reprehensible and signs of deep-seated hatred for other parts of the country. “It is based on this that we have come together to say NEVER will we allow anything untoward to happen to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who has been speaking up for us and our people against the tyranny and despotism of the Buhari administration and his Hausa/Fulani disciples.
“We have lost more people in the South and the Middle Belt in the two years under Buhari than we have done since 1999 to May 2015. Do we allow Arewa and their threats to those who defend and speak up for us pass unchallenged or do we stand up to them and say enough is enough? Our people have chosen the latter. “For the avoidance of doubt, we want to make it categorically clear that under no circumstances shall we allow anyone no matter who they think they are to threaten Fani-Kayode. Nothing must happen to him or any member of his family. “We call on the law enforcement agencies to take notice of such needless threats from AYF as we are more than ready to respond adequately and commensurately to any action the Arewa Youths might be planning to take.
“Enough is enough!” The statement concluded.
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