IYC lashes President Buhari’s control of the Arewa Youths, IPOB, N’Delta agitators

The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of agitations by the Indigenous People of Biafra and the people of the Niger Delta.

The IYC expressed their criticism in a statement on Sunday that the Buhari’s administration had institutionalised double standards in national matters in its handling of the Arewa youth leaders who issued quit notice to Igbo residing in the North and other youth groups and agitators in the country particularly members of IPOB and the Niger Delta agitators.

The factional President, IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, said it was the height of partiality and sectionalism for Buhari’s administration to treat the quit notice from the Arewa youth leaders, who committed a grave offence bordering on national security with levity.

READ ALSO: Arewa youths suspend Igbo quit notice

He included that the Arewa youths were being invited to state dinners, while the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, was being threatened with arrest and a several Niger Delta activists languishing in detention, Punch reported.

Omare said, ‘’The way and manner the Arewa youths were treated clearly justifies our earlier position that the quit notice was politically-motivated and had the backing of the Hausa/Fulani political class.

“A further confirmation of the involvement of the political class was the presence of the Governor of Borno State and the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Kashim Shettima, at the press conference to suspend the politically-motivated quit notice and the state hosting of the Arewa youths leaders by the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje.

READ ALSO: We will shut down government activities if Kanu is not re-arrested – Northern group warns

‘’Nigerians will recall the questionable role played by … in the controversial kidnap of the Chibok girls to blackmail the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. The IYC is convinced that if the Arewa youth leaders were to be members of IPOB or from the Niger Delta region, they would have been in DSS underground detention cells by now. Even Governor  El-Rufai of Kaduna State who earlier ordered for the arrest of the Arewa youth leaders has gone mute.

‘’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 institutionalisation of double standard in national affairs by the Buhari administration in the strongest terms.’’

He clearly noted that with the way and manner the Arewa youth leaders were treated, the Buhari administration had lost the justification to threaten to re-arrest Kanu or any other agitators in the southern part of Nigeria.