Citizens Against Tyranny, a Pro-Democracy and Good Governance Coalition, has described the recent ultimatum by a coalition of northern groups with Abdul Azeez Suleman as spokesman, to the Federal Government to implement the controversial RUGA settlement scheme for herdsmen as tantamount to a declaration of war.

The group in a statement issued on Monday said that it is “not enthused nor amused by the treasonable utterances” of the northern coalition. The statement was signed by Nze Ugo-Akpe Onwuka (Oyi II of Oyi), International Coordinator, IGBO RENAISSANCE FORUM; Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, President-General, MIDWEST MOVEMENT; Emma Zopmal, President, Middle Belt Youth Council; Eric Oluwole, National President, Yoruba Youth Council; and Otunba Olu. Osiyemi, Co-ordinator, Awake Nigeria UK.

According to Citizens Against Tyranny, “This jaundiced and misguided group has gone ahead to threaten mayhem if the Federal Government does not go ahead with the implementation of the RUGA annexation plan by a Federal Government that has continued to focus on nothing but the advancement in the takeover of indigenous ancestral lands by herders across the country.

“It is strange that in this country where people from other ethnic groups are labeled terrorists for speaking their minds, such toxic and abominable threats to national security is overlooked by those who claim to be running a government for the generality of Nigerians.”

Strongly opposing the implementation of RUGA in any guise, Citizens Against Tyranny, said in the statement, a copy of which was made available to News Express: “First of all, the RUGA annexation plan that brought about these unfortunate and unintelligent rants from these despicable lot is a venture that should not have been thought about at all!

“However, we are glad to assure the schemers of such an unfortunate plan that it surely crashed before it was hatched.

“RUGA SETTLEMENTS is a clear move to alter the demographics of Nigeria to favour a people who have not shown any form of readiness to live at peace with others.

“We lay the blame for such irresponsible vituperations from these divisive and violent elements squarely on the doorsteps of the federal government.

“It is baffling and puzzling that in a country that the land use act is very clear, the federal government could plot such a rogue move to forcefully annex people”s land by force without recourse to the extant laws of the land.

“Suffice it to say that since these felonious fellows who committed obvious treason on live TV are still walking free, the government is part and parcel of that vitriolic and obnoxious press statement.

“The only way to prove to the whole world that there is no form of conspiracy and collusion is to arrest and prosecute these irresponsible individuals.

“Anything short of the above is a clear indication of complicity on the part of this government that has not hidden their desire to aid, abate and fund with our commonwealth Fulani from across Africa to overrun indigenous people within the Nigerian state.

“These misfits who came up with such a demonic statement have never condemned the atrocious, continued macabre orgy of blood of indigenous people across the country by those they seem to be championing their cause with threats to the peace of the country.

“We would also like to warn that no ethnic group or individuals possess the monopoly of stupidity and violence, and therefore, such brazen threats to forcefully eject Southerners from the North is the best definition of brainlessness and chicanery.

“If at this time that Nigeria is bleeding profusely from the bullets and machetes of the herds-terrorists, and we have people who are spewing such threats of violence without recourse to common sense, it is a clear sign that those behind the blood trails are still spoiling for more blood.

“We are 100% solidly behind Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Afenifere, PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum on their stand on this very issue and would want to state categorically that it is lawless, irresponsible and treasonable for such threats to national security to be allowed without any eye brows raised by a government that has sought in the recent past to take away civil liberties on the flimsy excuse of trying to maintain national security.

“With such pedestrian utterances going out without any consequences, it has become obvious that Nigeria as we know it is about to experience a major shakeup that might ultimately leave it broken and battered.

“Let those clowns know that the Southern Nigerians they seek to visit with violence shall surely not fold their arms and wait to be maimed and killed!

“We shall be standing firm to make sure that such psychopathic individuals shall never again drive murderous narratives like the one we are reading today from a group that seems to be in love with bloodshed and destruction.

“We still have the option of calling for a referendum to renegotiate this space and restructure Nigeria to avoid a major conflagration, courtesy of such ill-advised and venomous threats from a section of the country who think they have the monopoly of violence.

“We want to state without equivocation that we are sick and tired of being threatened by individuals from the North who do not represent anything but vile and bile.

“Let us also put them on notice that if the conditions to continue in this lopsided unity of the country is giving up our ancestral lands, then they have something else coming their way, because that will NEVER happen.

“Let us make it very clear that we can never give up a millimetre of our ancestral lands for any scheme masterminded by treacherous individuals in whatever nomenclature it might be shrouded in.

“We are not in any way going to entertain any acts capable of endangering the lives of our people.

“We have made our stand very clear as a people that “NO SINGLE MILLIMETER OF LAND IN THE SOUTH WEST, SOUTH EAST, MIDDLE BELT AND THE SOUTH SOUTH SHALL BE ANNEXED UNDER ANY NAME, RUGA OR ITS DISGUISED EQUIVALENT.”

“We also demand that the federal government should desist with immediate effect from any further action on RUGA SETTLEMENTS in the Middle Belt and Southern regions of the country as it has the propensity of igniting a civil war.

“We advise the federal government to focus on how to put an end to the geometric upsurge in violence and provide security to Nigerians instead of this fixation on herders’ welfare against every other citizens’ welfare.

“We shall be standing firm and strong to ensure that any form of intimidation or violence against Southern Nigerian populations in the North of Nigeria is met and responded to in equal measure and terms.

“We are also by this statement, putting the international community on red alert as to the impending implosion being consistently pushed by these divisive entities in Nigeria.”

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