Alhaji Ahmed Sule, Secretary, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum,
AYCF, in this interview justified the Arewa youth coalition’s
three months quit notice to the Igbo to leave the North,
saying the North is tired of insults.
HOW do you see the threat issued to the
Igbo to leave the North before October 1,
2017?
We have a sovereign state with sovereign powers, whether it
is the President or whoever is charged with the responsibility,
he is duty bound to take care of any situation that is going to
threaten the unity of the country. What brought about the Kaduna declaration? Over the years you have the Igbo people
– their idea of Biafra within a sovereign state has become
like a child’s play. You don’t try to make jest of situations like
that especially in a country like Nigeria.
So the ACYF forum supports the quit
notice to the Igbo to leave the North?
Things are getting too much and we are getting used to
allowing them get away with it. Why should you always be
talking about Biafra? The Arewa youths have never talked
about breaking away from this country, in fact all we do in our
programme is making sure this country remains united.
Is asking the Igbo to leave the North and
the northerners in the South-East to come
back to the North not part of attempts to
break the country?
When you make threats and get away with them, it is not
healthy. The average northerner is looked upon in a very funny
way and as an illiterate. We have been swallowing it. What does
that depict? We have learned people in the North just like in
any other part of the country.
What do you think made the ACF end up
backing the Arewa youth leadership?
The position we took is simple because, we are not fighting. If
it is Biafra you want, always put your cards on the table. If you
want to break away, you are not satisfied with the marriage
and unity, okay, please, start moving, there is no fight in it.
Your quit notice followed the May 30 sit-
at home. Does sitting at home to mourn
the dead violate any law of the land?
To mourn the death of whom?
Those who died during the Biafra war
What we are talking about is beyond that sit at home thing.
The average northerner accommodates a lot of stress and pains
and silent insults from other parts of the country especially in
the South…
Is the North marginalized?
Every part of this country is marginalized because it is either
you are in the system or not.
Do you agree that Igbo should have the
Sovereign State of Biafra?
If they can manage and there is no war about it. The three
months quit notice has no inclination of violence because
violence is the worst thing that comes up. We never said we
are going to use force. Do we have any weapon to use force?
Why did your group dare the police to
arrest the Arewa youth leaders?
As a policeman when you are given orders you are supposed to
function.
Your group, the Arewa consultative forum
was a part of the Arewa youth coalition,
is that correct?
Yes, it is
And you are seeing absolutely nothing
wrong in the Kaduna declaration?
There is nothing wrong, there is nothing abnormal in it.
Don’t you think that your statement could
have sparked some hatred somewhere,
some violence somewhere even though
you said you meant no violence?
Is anybody in this country praying for violence to take place?
You have freedom of speech. Treason in such statement
Somebody has the right to say he wants to break away from
the country and nothing happens to him and you have somebody
who is just talking about allowing him to go…
How do you see comments that the statement is treasonable? It is not
treasonable. It is how you want to interpret it. It cannot be
treasonable if you cannot say there is treason in the Biafran
stand, you shouldn’t turn round and say there is treason in such
statement.
So what does the north want?
The north wants peace. The north on its own is fighting
anything that is retrogressive to this country’s progress
especially the Arewa youths.
The police have issued
statement that they are going to arrest
those who have issued this statement
because at the moment we do know that
Nnamdi Kanu is being tried for treason,
he is on bail and why should your group
not be arrested?
Who said our group should not be arrested? Did any one of
those people say they should not be arrested, that they cannot
be arrested? You dared the police, it was reported that your
group dared the police to arrest them If there is an order
inviting somebody or if there is an order of arrest coming
from the court or whatever or from the powers that be, then
the police have a duty to go and effect the arrest.
June 17, 2017
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