Governors of the 19 northern states of Nigeria yesterday called on those agitating for a separate country to tread the path of caution and pursue their cause with civility even as they condemned the killing of persons during the pro-Biafra riot on Wednesday in Anambra State.

Rising from an urgent meeting where security issues were discussed, the governors, led by their chairman, Governor Kashim Shettima, said they had also taken what they called undisclosed measures to avert reprisal attacks over the Onitsha violence that claimed seven lives.

Speaking on behalf of the 19 governors, Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, whose statement was issued by his spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau, yesterday in Maiduguri, said the governors were in touch with one another yesterday and had taken some firm measures aimed at averting any spill-over.

Shettima said the governors took the undisclosed measures, following media reports claiming that worship places were torched during the Wednesday violence in Onitsha.

“The northern governors condemned the Onitsha violence without blaming any individual or group. The governors appealed for calm, saying all Nigerians must realise that the evil being perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents against innocent Muslims, Christians and followers of other religions regardless of their geo-political divides since the last six years, was more than enough trouble for the country and hence the need to come together as a single unit to collectively fight terrorism that is a threat to all law abiding Nigerians.

“We condemn the Wednesday crisis in very strong terms. We have been in touch with one another today. The governors of major cities in the North in particular have been in critical touch to share thoughts and we have collectively taken firm measures to ensure that the violence doesn’t spread to any part of the 19 northern states and we will also be working with our colleagues in the South to nip the crisis in the bud but we will not disclose the measures we have taken so that those who may want to take advantage of the Onitsha mayhem don’t know our strategies.

“However, it is surprising to the Northern States Governors Forum that any Nigerian at all can even contemplate any kind of violence when we already have serious problems of Boko Haram insurgents that are killing Muslims and Christians, killing northerners and southerners, attacking Mosques, Churches and markets, in an effort to kill all of us that do not subscribe to their interpretation of Islam. We have Boko Haram that kill Hausa, Fulani, Ibo, Yoruba, Kanuri, Ijaw and anyone they are able to come across. We thought that the existence of Boko Haram should have been enough to make all Nigerians fuse into one and fight a common enemy.

“It is really sad that any Nigerian can contemplate violence. We are not blaming any individual or group because there are security agencies whose job it is to safeguard lives and property and do investigations where necessary; we will not go into their duties. We beg all Nigerians to be calm and go about their duties in peace.”

•Text courtesy of LEADERSHIP. Photo shows Governor Shettima.

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