2023: Don’t Expect Us To Hand Over To You, Arewa Youths Tell Southwest

The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) has said the Southwest should not expect the North to hand over power to a Nigerian from the region.

Concise News reports that Arewa Youths said this in a statement on Monday, as a reaction to the alleged attack on Northerners in Lagos by task force.

Commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada, were said to have attacked officials of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Taskforce) on Thursday.

The AYCF claimed that the Lagos Task Force has been invading the homes of Northerners in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre.

“Our attention has been drawn to an [sic] ongoing brigandage in Lagos against innocent Northerners who are in Lagos to earn their living legitimately,” the group said.

“We reliably gathered that using a Gestapo style the Lagos Task Force officials have been invading homes of Northerners in Lagos in ungodly hours of the night and carting away motorcycles while forcefully abducting the occupants and hauling them into detention.

“We dare say we have not seen this kind of impunity against Northerners in recent years.

“It is even strange that this is coming from the Southwest, a region that expects the North to hand over the 2023 Presidency to its own.

“We have reason to now wonder if the Southwest truly expects the North to make it a successor in 2023.”

It condemned the alleged invasion of the homes of Northerners, calling on the Lagos State Government as well as President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the matter.

“We find totally unacceptable the use of force to invade the homes of Northerners in the wee hours of the night and ‘arresting’ them for no legal or constitutional reason,” it added.

“We are not aware of any law by Lagos State Government banning Okada, even though we know that restrictions have been imposed on Okada in selected Lagos communities.

“It is, therefore, imperative that either the Lagos State Government or the Task Force explain the legal and Constitutional basis for this action.

“It was very touching when we saw the Task Force officials raiding homes with [the majority of Northerners in Oshodi area on the wee hours of the night.

“We demand [an] immediate explanation for this humiliating operation, let either the Lagos State Government tell the world that it officially sanctioned this Gestapo operation or it was the instruction of Task Force boss that we are seeing this physical assault on our people.”

It added that the incident, if not tamed, could result in retaliatory attacks in Northern parts of the country.