Northern Christians under the aegis of Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association (ACIPA) have cautioned the agitators of Biafra to desist from further acts of provocation.
In a statement signed by its President, Rev Luke Shehu, ACIPA said the Igbo should employ civil democratic norm of lobbying and politics of give and take to achieve their goals rather than threatening the nation with secession.
“The Igbo leaders should refrain from provoking the psyche of Nigerians with the Biafra secession threat,” the association said, advising the agitators to eschew the bitterness of not having produced Nigeria’s president.
“While agreeing that their demand could be legitimate, threatening Nigeria with another secession agenda is unacceptable,” the statement said, urging proponents of Biafra to take counsel from Odumegwu Ojukwu who it quoted as having said, “I don’t think a second one (war) is necessary. We should have learned from the first one, otherwise the dead would have been to no Avail.”
It said Nigeria’s civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970 was regrettable and better avoided because of the millions of people that died and the valuable properties destroyed.
The group enjoined all Nigerians to pray for quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari and asked Nigerians home and abroad to resist religious bigotry.
