North Will Vote Candidate Who Condemns Killing Of Northerners In South – NEF

Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has warned against killings of Northerners in the South, stating that only a presidential candidate that condemns such killings would be voted for in the 2023 presidential election.

A statement on Friday by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Forum ‘s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, said that the NEF is deeply concerned over rising cases of profiling and targeted killings of Northerners in many parts of the South.

Pointing out the recent murder of some Nigerians in Imo State on suspicions that they were northerners, the Forum noted that it “is one incident among many recent ones that involve harassments, illegal arrests, attacks and killings of Nigerians from the North.”

According to the Forum, “It would appear that groups that target northerners draw inspiration from the silence of leaders and the absence of appropriate response from security and other law enforcement agencies.”

The Forum drew “attention once again to the dangers of these escalating incidents and provocations. The impression that northerners are fair game for groups and organizations in the South is forcing northerners to exercise their rights to travel and live peacefully in any part of Nigeria only under great danger and fear. This is intolerable and unacceptable.”

The Forum demands that governments, communities and law enforcement agencies protect northerners living in the South.

“It demands clear and emphatic condemnation from leaders, elders and communities who understand that the welfare and security of all citizens are vulnerable to the degree that other citizens are unsafe in certain parts of the country.

“We serve notice that the North will use the degree to which contestants for political office speak in clear terms in condemnation of these attacks on northerners as a yardstick for our support of candidates and parties.

“While we appeal to all communities to live in peace with each other, we also demand that killers who target northerners are fished out and punished,” the statement said.