Ignore IPOB’s provocations – Northern Youth Coalition

The Northern Youth Coalition has enjoined the people of Northern Nigeria wherever they live to hereafter pay no attention to the activities of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in the South-east zone of the country.

The group made the call during a press conference at the Nigerian Union of Journalists’ Press Centre in Kano on Wednesday.

NYC said it had observed that the whole essence the activities of IPOB were to trigger reactions from Northerners and make Nigeria ungovernable.

Spokesman of the group, AbdulAziz Suleiman, said: “all the violent activities playing out are well planned to escalate by 2019, and starting from 2018 to prevent a successful conduct of elections and eventually the collapse of this Buhari government and democracy in Nigeria.”

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He added, “In this situation, it is essential that the north and northerners remain restrained and refuse to be provoked into reprisals which is the ultimate hope of the conflict instigators.

“The agitations and disturbances that have been ongoing ceaselessly since the coming of Buhari/Osibanjo administration are aimed at rendering the country practically ungovernable and ushering in of anarchy and instability, thereby occasioning a change of government by whatever means.

“And the singling out of Buhari for attacks is a tactics to cause inter-regional crisis possibly leading to general unrest,” he said.

READ ALSO: Biafra: Peace restored after IPOB/Hausa clash in Rivers

Mr. Suleiman, who spoke at the briefing alongside other leaders of the group, including Yarima Shatima and Mastura Sharif, applauded the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, for declaring a curfew on Aba.

He also commended the prompt intervention of the Nigerian military in the South-east zone.

The coalition had earlier this year issued a quit notice on the Igbo in the North over the activities of IPOB but later withdrew the notice after quit notice attracted widespread condemnation.