By Emmanuel Okwara
Governor Hope Uzodinma is behind the incessant attacks against Northerners resident in Imo State, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has alleged on Sunday.
CNG spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the group noted with perplexity and concern, “the official rampage on Northern settlements ordered by the State Governor, Hope Uzodimma”.
The group’s press statement titled, “RESPONSE TO THE UNPROVOKED EVICTIONS AND ORGANISED VIOLATIONS ORGANIZED BY UZODIMMA AGAINST NORTHERNERS IN IMO”, further said:
“We note how armed detachments of the Nigerian Army, the police and assortments of armed thugs were unleashed by the Governor with clear orders to destroy, demolish, burn every structure and assets belonging to the peaceful northern settlers of three communities from Thursday 27th to Friday 28th July, 2023.
“This state-sponsored arson left in its wake thousands of shops and houses completely burnt, properties worth billions of Naira destroyed and looted and thousands of northerners living and conducting legitimate businesses forcefully ejected, displaced and deprived.
“The state-sponsored arsonists who arrived without prior notice, heavily armed with assorted arms including an Armoured Personal Carrier (APC), sacked Nakede Number One and completely destroyed 1300 shops and houses with the over 2500 inhabitants displaced, dispossessed and run out of legitimate businesses.
“At Abu Junction Ama Hausa, the largest Northern settlement with a population of 4000 settlers, the arsonists destroyed a total of 3500 shops, 1500 houses forced 150 persons back to the North while rendering thousands of others homeless with no means of livelihood.
“Arungo Park, Onisha Road with total population of over 3000 was also attacked, completely sacked and the residents displaced. It is noteworthy that both Abu junction and Nakede Number One which were sacked, have a history of 11 years of existence and Arugo Park six years.
“As the representatives of various interest groups from Northern Nigeria, the CNG studied these coordinated attacks on the Hausa communities ordered by the Imo State Governor, with considerable restraint and maturity, to the point of condoning and accommodating several unreasonable, arbitrary, official violations and breach of the right of the northerner to live and thrive anywhere in the country.
“The level of destruction, deprivation and displacement therefore has taken matters to a point whereby silence has become complicity and inaction no longer an option”.
CNG further called on the federal government to take steps to stop the unfolding developments.
It stated: “We call on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to disband all militias and armed groups in Imo and other parts of the South-East by resort to the use of force if needs be, to ensure that no group has the capacity to challenge the State in its prerogative to maintain law and order, and protect citizens’ lives and properties.
“We call on the Inspector General of Police and the Nigerian Army Headquarters to interrogate the extent of involvement of their personnel in the commission of this dastardly act against peaceful everyday northerners in Imo State.
“We demand for the establishment of a judicial enquiry that would be saddled with the responsibility of determining the quantum of loss of properties by northerners in the Imo attacks with a view to paying compensation due to each of the victims.”
