The Coalition of Northern Groups CNG has withdrawn the “quit notice” it issued Igbos resident in the region, but asked the Federal Government to arrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu saying the time has come to curtail his excesses.
At a press conference attended by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima, Sen. Kabiru Gaya and other northern leaders, Thursday in Abuja, the group however said it would continue to pursue its other demands up to the United Nations.
“Mindful of the concerns generated by the clause in the Kaduna declaration that advised the Biafran Igbo to relocate from northern Nigeria and for northerners in the South East to do likewise, and our commitment to the unity of our dear country,n we immediately opened channels for dialogue and interaction with government agencies, national and international groups, institutions and figures.
“Admittedly, we came under intense persuasive pressure from genuinely concerned national, political, traditional, religious and cultural leaders prominent among which were; a section of the Northern Governors Forum under its Chairman, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno state, northern traditional rulers and the Department of State Services DSS.
“Most significant was our correspondence with the then Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and most recently our interface with the Presidency through the Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters.
“In the meantime, we shall firmly pursue our petitions to the United Nations and the Nigerian federal authorities calling for the appropriate sanction of Nnamdi Kanu, other IPOB leaders and their sponsors in addition to labelling them a terror outfit”.
The CNG also listed several terms which it asked the government to consider. It said the federal government should allow and support the Igbo to hold a referendum on secession.
“Taking all other issues raised in the Kaduna Declaration over the past few months, vis a vis the effort by various government and non-governmental bodies to engage us in dialogue, we submit that there is the need to look at the following issues holistically as safeguards against future ethnic tensions:
“Allow the Igbo and support them to hold a referendum to decide their future either as Nigerians or as Biafrans in view of the fact that the population of the Igbo that supports Biafra is far larger than the few who appear to be against it. Failure to do that will only douse this tension temporarily while they regroup to prepare for the war, they have always craved and openly called for. We are opposed to war with any part of this country and we are opposed to any situation that will lead to war.
“One of the key reasons why Biafra should be allowed to hold a referendum is because the
