A northern group under the aegis of Arewa Think Tank has condemned the killing of 16 hunters in Edo State, warning that the North should not be incited against the South over the incident.

The group?s convener, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, gave the warning during a special prayer session organized in commemoration of President Bola Tinubu?s 73rd birthday in Kaduna.

Yakubu commended President Tinubu for ordering an immediate crackdown on killers of the hunters, who were of northern extraction.

He said there is no doubt, every right-thinking Nigerian felt bad about that ugly news of the killing of 16 travelers to the northern part of the country.

?But we are delighted over Mr. President?s prompt response to the tragedy. He did not play politics with the incident. He showed great concern about what happened, and that was why he gave such a strong order for the arrest of the perpetrators of that heinous crime without delay.

?It is, however, worrisome that some people who never see anything good in this government are trying to use the incident to incite the North against the South. They will never succeed because President Tinubu is ahead of them in thinking positively for the progress of the entire country,? he said.

Yakubu further stated that those who do not wish Nigeria progress will never succeed in their private lives unless they also wish for the country?s success.

He emphasized that Nigerians cannot afford to leave their leaders alone in steering the country toward progress without supporting them through prayers.

Yakubu also expressed optimism about President Tinubu?s chances for a second term, attributing it to the various reforms he has implemented.

Two Islamic clerics, Sheikh Yahaya Musa and Abdulkareem Abumujahidah, led the prayer session for the president. They urged Nigerians to continue praying for their leaders to ensure the country?s speedy development.

According to the clerics: ?There is nothing wrong with praying for our leaders. God even says that we should continue to pray for our leaders so that they can have the strength and good health to lead us better. So this prayer for the President and Nigeria as a country is in order.?

The former governor of Kaduna State, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, and the Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Comrade Issa Aremu, graced the occasion. Both commended the organizers of the prayer session. (Daily Trust)

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