The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, on Sunday warned the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration against attempt to rearrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
IYC warned that any attempt at rearresting the IPOB leader will “set Nigeria in flames.”
Wondering why Arewa youths have not been arrested over the quit notice asking Igbos to vacate North, the body maintained that the Buhari-led government had lost the moral right to rearrest Kanu.
In a statement by its leader Eric Omare, the group claimed things would have taken an entirely different twist if the threat had emanated from another tribe.
According to Omare, “It is the height of nepotism and sectionalism for the Buhari administration to treat the Arewa youth leaders who committed a serious offense bordering on a threat to national security with kid gloves while the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, is being threatened with arrest and several Niger Delta activists are languishing in detention.
“We wish to state clearly that the Buhari administration has lost the justification to threaten to re-arrest Mr. Nnamdi Kanu or any other agitator in the southern part of Nigeria. Nigerians ought to be treated equally irrespective of their place of origin or ethnic background.
“We also strongly advise against the planned revocation of the bail and arrest of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. Arresting Nnamdi Kanu would set Nigeria in flames.”
The body called on the President to release Niger Delta youth activists who were arrested for making comments on social media, an offense far less grievous than the threat issued by the Arewa youths.
“While the Arewa youths are enjoying state dinners, Niger Delta youth activists, such as Ezekiel Daniel, Alex Odogu, ex-militant leader Bonny Gawei, and several others, are in underground detention cells.
“Ezekiel Daniel has been in DSS detention for more than a year for a mere Facebook comment. This is sad and unacceptable.
“The IYC condemns this institutionalization of double standards in national affairs by the Buhari administration in the strongest terms,” the group said.
