An Igbo Youth group has expressed outrage over the reported attack on the Igbo residents in Sokoto State on Saturday.
Several reports in the media indicated that businesses of the Igbo in Sokoto were subjects of attack as Muslims protested the arrest of two suspects involved in the killing of Miss Deborah Samuel, a female student accused of blasphemy.
The protesters were said to have attacked and looted shops belonging to South-Easterners.
In a statement made available to journalists yesterday, the leader of Igbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said it was unthinkable that Ndigbo could become the subject of attack over an issue they knew nothing about. He further stated that it was provocative that such mayhem could be unleashed on the peace-loving Igbo residents in Sokoto State.
While describing the attack as unacceptable, Okwu charged Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal to ensure that there would be no repeat of such “mindless attacks.”
“We are enraged that Ndigbo is once more victims of an unprovoked attack in Sokoto State over an issue that has to do with a Christian student from Niger State.
“It is quite sad that Ndigbo has remained endangered in Nigeria, justifying the quest for secession by separatist groups led by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
“The news we are getting from Sokoto, which we have confirmed to be true, is totally unacceptable and we demand that there should be no repeat of such carnage.
“Governor Aminu Tambuwal must see to it that Ndigbo and their properties are protected in Sokoto State. Any further attack on them will come with dire consequences. We also demand that those whose properties were looted be compensated by the government.
“Ndigbo has suffered so much in this country and we are warning that enough is enough. If they repeat this aggression against our people, it would come with a commensurate reaction.