COSEYL condemns attack on Igbo traders at Alaba Market, Lagos

The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), the umbrella body of all the youth groups in the South-East geopolitical zone have expressed their displeasure over the attack on Igbo traders who came to register for their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), in Lagos.

A statement issued on Friday by the president general of the Coalition, Hon. Goodluck Ibem described the attack by thugs against Igbo traders as wicked, barbaric, and unacceptable.

The youth group demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those hoodlums who attacked Igbo law-abiding citizens who came to perform their lawful civic duties by registering for their PVC as required by law.

According to them for such an incident to occur in a voter registration centre shows a serious security lapse in the state.

He said: “The Commissioner of Police and other security agencies are not living up to expectation. Something urgent needs to be done to avoid a reoccurrence of such ugly incident.”

They warned those thugs and their sponsors not to dare such attack again on Igbo traders or else they will meet a corresponding response.

“Nobody has a monopoly of violence. Enough of such insults on Ndigbo,” he said.

They called on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu to immediately provide 100 voter registration centres at the Alaba international market to enable the traders to register for their PVCs because that is the only way to avoid such fruition.

He said that Ndigbo has never attacked Yorubas living in South East so why the attack on innocent and law-abiding Igbos who just obeyed the law by coming out to register for their PVCs.

He said: “We demand an apology to Ndigbo within the next seven days.” (Nigerian Tribune)