Why we cannot arrest Arewa youths- FG

The federal government has given reasons why it cannot arrest members of a coalition of northern groups which had on June 6, issued a quit notice to Igbos living in the northern part of the Nigeria.

Vanguard reports that the United Nations in statement issued on Friday, August 25, in Geneva had urged the federal government to take immediate steps to arrest those behind a song that seeks to disparage the Igbos.

But the minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, addressing newsmen on the issue in Abuja on Saturday, August 26, said that the Arewa associations had denied making any inciting statement against the Igbos.

According to the minister, the group said it did not make inciting statement as to the issue of violence or forceful ejection of the Igbos in the north.

He said: “The group that called themselves coalition of Arewa Associations that held a press conference in Kaduna where they gave October 1 ultimatum to the Igbos to quit the north as a response to what they termed as issue of separatist agenda of the IPOB and claim that there are lots of incitement from the Igbos against the northerners to which the Kaduna State governor responded that they should be arrested for what they reported.

“Of course they later claimed that the media quoted them out of context. I am very much aware that the DSS invited all of them, held a meeting with them to which they made a statement to the effect that what was reported in the media was not what they said.

“They further wrote to the acting President indicating that they did not make inciting statement as to the issue of violence or forceful ejection of the Igbos in the north.

“However, it was on the basis of that, the northern elders called them to also reaffirm from them that what was reported is not exactly what they meant.”