Coalition: Attacks on herders in South-West, grand plan to cripple North

By ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, Kaduna

Another prominent northern voice, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has joined the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), to condemn the ongoing attack of the herders’ communities in the South Western part of Nigeria.

The CNG, stated categorically that, incident in Oyo state is not an isolated attack, but part of a grand design to destabilize Nigeria and in particular bring the North to its knees.

In an interview with The Nation, the CNG spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, warned the instigators of the attacks to desist, as the North knows how to retaliate such attacks.

He said though, the Coalition was still meeting over the development, it was already considering a number of options, starting with recalling all Northern communities in the south back home safely, before considering the next move.

The CNG Spokesman alleged that, for too long, enemies of the North both foreign and local, have worked strenuously to ensure that the region remains backward, divided, weak, confused and bewildered by myriads of challenges.

He however linked the development in Oyo to the alleged ‘enemies’ plan, saying that, there is a clear pattern drawn from the strategies employed to diminish North’s viability and particularly bring the Hausa/Fulani population down by direct annihilation or political and economic incapacitation.

According to him, “We are meeting over the development and shall come up with a definite position. We are considering a number of options.

“We expected the attack from Ondo following Akeridolu’s directive. But now it’s coming from Oyo.

“As a first step, we are considering recalling all Northern Communities in the south back home safely before considering the next move. We however warn the instigators of this violence to note that the North certainly knows how to repay coin for coin.

“We certainly don’t consider it an isolated incident but linked to a grand design to destabilize Nigeria and in particular bring the North to its knees by targeting a major component of its population, the Fulani and their livestock assets.

“It is no longer in doubt that for too long, enemies of the North both foreign and local have worked strenuously to ensure that the region remains backward, divided, weak, confused and bewildered by myriads of challenges and problems.

“Today everyone can see a clear pattern drawn from the strategies employed to achieve these results; namely the diminishing of the Northern viability and in particular, bringing the Hausa/Fulani population down by direct annihilation or political and economic incapacitation,” Suleiman said. (The Nation)