Boko Haram Gives Southerners 3-Day Ultimatum To Leave Northern Nigeria

Source: huhuonline.com

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The dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect has asked all Southerners living in the North to leave the region within three days or face the consequences. It also asked all Hausa people living in the Southern part of Nigeria to leave the area since there is going to be

 a reprisal attack on them as a result of the sect's next moves.

The group, while asking all Christians to vacate the North and threatening to confront the security agencies, further said the State of Emergency issued in some Northern parts of the country would only result in the killing of innocent people since the actual members of the group are difficult to know.

Spokesman of the sect, Abul Qaqa, disclosed that Christians in the North had only three days to leave the area.

"We find it pertinent to state that soldiers will only kill innocent Muslims in the local government areas where the state of emergency was declared. We would confront them squarely to protect our brothers.

"We also wish to call on our fellow Muslims to come back to the North because we have evidence that they would be attacked. We are also giving a three-day ultimatum to the Southerners living in the Northern part of Nigeria to move away," Qaqa said in Hausa language.

 
Prior to this time, the sect, whose aims are almost unknown, has often attacked Muslims and politicians with a pocket of attacks on Christians. But the Christmas day bombing of the St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Madalla resulted in a lot of opinions with the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor, calling on Christians to henceforth protect themselves.

 
While criticising President Jonathan over his weekend visit to a Catholic Church, Qaqa said: "The President had never visited any of the theatres were Muslims were massacred."

As part of the implementation of the state of emergency, it has been learnt that heavily armed soldiers and policemen have been parading areas of the North that were affected by the pronouncement of the President. In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, residents say patrols by security operatives have increased as soldiers search for weapons and bombs, just as soldiers have asked that unusual behaviour or abandoned vehicles should be reported.

President Jonathan had while declaring the state of emergency in parts of the states of Borno, Niger, Plateau and Yobe, acknowledged that the unprecedented Boko Haram attacks 'have threatened our collective security and shaken the foundations of our corporate existence as a nation.'

However, Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan had reaffirmed that Muslim residents in the state are not leaving the state despite security challenges, adding that several measures have been put in place by the state government to deal with the current security challenges which, according to him, is not peculiar to the state.

 
Uduaghan, who spoke to Huhuonline.com / through Alhaji Auwalu Tukur, Special Assistant to the governor (Special Duties) had reacted to claims that Hausa's of Northern extraction were considering leaving the state due to fear of reprisal attacks over Boko Haram's killing spree of Christians, mostly from the Southern part of Nigeria.

 
'Nobody and there is no single Northerner that is leaving the entire Delta state. Delta state is our home. We cannot leave Delta. We were born and brought up here. So those people speculating that people are leaving have lied.

'In fact, I cannot be able to say what is responsible for that attack but all I know is that the Northerners living in Delta state are at peace because government is giving them protection and I believe that they have had cordial relationship with the indigenes for decades. Our great grandfathers have lived all their live here till we were born and we have been living in peace.

'The state governor, Dr. Emmanual Uduaghan has assured the people and residents that the Muslim community are safe in Delta state and that nobody should feel intimidated. Already the state governor has mobilized the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and other security agencies to patrol all flashpoint areas in the state, especially among the Muslim populated communities which is an indicator to the fact that nothing of such will happen again because Delta is a peaceful state and we have been living in Delta but have only heard of such bomb blast incidences outside Delta state. And we pray such a thing will never ever happen in the state.

 
'We are not going anywhere. Delta is our home and whatever is going to happen should happen and we are not moving away from Delta. No single Northerner or members of the Muslim community will leave the state. We will continue to remain in Delta. The Governor is a peace loving person who respects everybody despite tribe, religion or tradition and as far as you are living in Delta state you are highly protected.'