The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA), under the leadership of Ambassador Abdul Danbature, has expressed deep concern and anger over the continuous and deliberate attacks on the properties, businesses, and livelihoods of Northerners across several states in Southern Nigeria.
According to the group, there are reports and verified videos on social media, which have revealed disturbing scenes of targeted destruction in Lagos, Edo, Rivers, and other parts of the South.
“Northerners, who are law-abiding citizens of this country, are being insulted, harassed, and their businesses destroyed under the guise of ethnic profiling and reckless labeling.
“We must remind the Federal Government, security agencies, and indeed the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, that Northerners have every constitutional right to live and conduct legitimate businesses anywhere in Nigeria. Our people cannot continue to be humiliated, dehumanized, and dispossessed in silence.
“It is on record that Northern youth stood firm and massively voted for President Tinubu, giving him unprecedented support during the 2023 general elections, while those now persecuting Northerners contributed little or nothing to his emergence, stressing that It is therefore shocking, painful, and unacceptable that under his leadership, the same Northerners who believed in him now feel betrayed, abandoned, and unprotected.
“We state categorically: enough is enough. The wanton destruction of Northern businesses and properties must stop immediately. We will no longer tolerate the continuous humiliation of our people in any part of this country. If urgent steps are not taken by the Federal Government and security agencies to restore law and order, protect Northerners, and bring perpetrators to justice, we will have no choice but to issue directives to our youth across the North to defend themselves and their interests.,
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. We cannot be treated as second-class citizens in a country we have sacrificed so much to build and sustain. The patience of Northern youth must not be mistaken for weakness,” Danbature said on Tuesday.
Danbature, therefore, called on Tinubu to rise as a father and leader at this critical time and ensure that the dignity, safety, and rights of Northerners are protected across the federation.
“Failure to act decisively will only further deepen divisions and threaten the fragile peace of our nation,” he added.