1st February, 2012
BY FEMI ADI/ KADUNA
The Northern based political group, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF has justified the 2 January Boko Haram order issued to southerners residing in the North to leave or face the action of the dreaded group.
The group today at a press conference in Kaduna at the Sokoto Road ACF headquarters said those blaming Boko Haram for issuing the order were unfair, when in the first place the southerners were the first to order northerners to leave the South .
Though the ACF Chairman , Alhaji Aliko Mohammed said the group is not supporting Boko Haram for issuing the quit order, there was need to properly understand that the southerners started first before Boko Haram retaliated.
According to him, the federal government should wake up to the responsibility of ensuring the security of Nigerians where ever they reside to avert the situation where a group will order another Nigerian group to leave his area of domicile.
On the large numbers of Igbos leaving the North, Mohammed claimed that northern leaders have not asked the Igbos to leave.
But he quickly added that the Igbos could go if they want to go’’.
The ACF told President Goodluck Jonathan to name those he said are Boko Haram members in his cabinet and gave an assurance that the group would expose these collaborators immediately.
”Government should uncover the true identity of the Boko Haram members in order to be able to determine their demands or grieviances as well as address those that may be genuine and in accordance with our laws’’.
The ACF chair, Aliko Mohammed emphasised that ACF is not only worried about the spate of bomb attacks in the north , but also the inability of the Jonathan led administration to deal decisively with the perpetrators.
He urged the federal government to give security guaranty to members and leaders of Boko Haram when eventually they come out for dialogue.
However, while condemning the actions of the Boko Haram, Mohammed reiterated that it is also necessary to call upon the federal government and all leaders and those in authority to recall the 1963 UN resolution of 2010, which urges governments around the world to address underlying causes of civil unrest and social conflicts rather than resort to military power that rarely solves them.
He also said the federal and state government should be seen to demonstrate fairness and justice in dealing with all issues of insecurity and infringemnet of the laws of the country.