The Chairman, Board of Trustee (BoT), Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Nastura Ashir Shariff, and the National Coordinator of the group, Balarabe Rufai, have been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services.
It was alleged that the CNG leaders had planned to hold a press conference and discuss how to issue quit notices to certain ethnic nationalities in the North.
The coalition spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, and the Director, Aminu Adams, told journalists that the duo was picked up on the road on their way from NAF Club in Kaduna, the venue of a botched press conference on the “security challenges” in the country.
A statement issued by the coalition on Friday read, “We are still working to establish a connection with them or trace where they were taken to. Both their phone lines have been unreachable for the past two hours.
“It may not be unconnected with a planned press briefing by the CNG at the NAF Club, Kaduna which security agents had prevented from holding.
“The Kaduna DSS director had called us earlier today and tried to threaten us against going ahead with the briefing. We stood our ground and insisted on our right to freedom of association and expression.
“A few minutes afterward, we were called from the NAF Club and informed that they were ordered from above to refuse us the use of the hall.
“We then went to tell the pressmen who were already gathered at the venue about the development and asked them to disperse since the briefing had been suspended.
“As we left the NAF Club and were driving along adjacent Nagogo road, a hooded Peugeot car blocked the lead car which was conveying the two officials and ordered them into the Peugeot and sped off.
“Journalists had to wait at a new hideout around Katsina Road, in an isolated building. It was while there that they were told that the organizers of the press conference had been picked up by suspected security personnel.”
Adams alleged that the duo must have been to Abuja, as they could not be found at Kaduna police command headquarters and other places visited in search of the arrested leaders.
The botched action of the northern groups may have been influenced by the recent campaign against Fulani herdsmen, who have been blamed for many of the killing and kidnapping cases in the South.
Nigerians react:
But some Nigerians on social media described the arrest of the CNG leaders by the DSS operatives as a script prepared to pave the way for the arrest of Igboho.
Below are some of their reactions:
Kennedy Ephraim: “Story for the Gods, we know what you are doing and will never succumb to that wayo arrest.”
Sc Eziakonobieze: “Rehearsal of the game plan to confidently come after Sunday igboho,”
Austine Edwinson: “Two things are involved, it is either the government knows that the outcome will mean dividing Nigeria finally or they are clearing the way to see a basis to arrest Igboho”
John Nwokedi: “TAKIYA” “PRETENCE TO ARREST SUNDAY IGBOHO” IF THEY SET THIS COUNTRY ABLAZE INSTEAD OF REFERENDUM, IT WILL CONSUME ALL.”
Laravel Webs: “They are coming for Igboho, this is the game plan… Make una reason smart.”
Damilola Ojo: “We know their mission Sunday igboho is their target ….this country is going to divide last last”
