A year-long ban on all types of protests in Northern Nigeria has been declared by some Arewa youth organizations. The decision was made following an evaluation of the events that transpired on August 1 during the rallies against the Federal Government, according to a statement signed by Comrade Mustapha Alkali.
The organizations claim that criminal elements took advantage of the protests to terrorize towns in the North. The organizations said that the criminal activity, violence, and burning that occurred during the protests were intolerable and endangered society as a whole.
Alkali states that "they have no regard for our values, our culture, and our way of life" and that the protesters have already "caused significant economic losses to the people, and we cannot afford to continue on this path." He claims that the protestors' actions clearly show their intention to destroy the North. "We have decided to impose a ban on all sorts of protests in Northern Nigeria for the next year, following a detailed examination of the events that transpired on August 1 during the protests against the Federal Government," he continued.
"We did not make this choice lightly, but it is now essential to safeguard our people's interests and welfare. The events on August 1 demonstrated unequivocally that the protest organizers had negative intentions for the North. Unprecedented and intolerable levels of violence, fire, and criminal activity were displayed during the protests.
"The destruction of property, the attack on defenseless civilians, and the disturbance of law and order in our area are all strongly condemned. Not only are these acts ineffective, but they also jeopardize the foundation of our civilization. Wanton destruction of both public and private property, looting, and maiming of defenseless bystanders were features of the protests. This is not what we anticipated.
"In addition, criminal groups took advantage of the protests to cause chaos in our towns. We cannot turn away and watch helplessly while those who do not care about us destroy our region. Our people have suffered large financial losses as a result of the protests, and we cannot afford to keep going in this direction.
We exhort our young people to exercise caution and refuse to be utilized as weapons of mass destruction." It is quite evident from the protesters' behavior that they wish to destroy the North. They show no respect for our way of life, our culture, or our principles. We cannot watch helplessly as our region is decimated.
The Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle, and the Minister of Agriculture and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, were also praised by the Arewa youth organizations for their opposition to violence and dedication to upholding law and order in the North. "At this crucial juncture, our region needs their leadership and vision."
We encourage them to keep going in this direction because they have demonstrated their commitment to our people's welfare," the statement continued. "The ministers' actions prevented further damage and casualties by ensuring that the protests did not go out of control. We implore them to keep up their relentless efforts to guarantee the safety and security of our area.
However, the groups vowed to support President Bola Tinubu and his administration and cautioned troublemakers to avoid the North. "We will not allow any type of violence or devastation in our region," declared Alkali. To make sure that individuals who violate the peace are held accountable, we will collaborate with the security services. Those who do not have our best interests at heart will not be allowed to harm our region." Lastly, we formally announce our backing of President Bola Tinubu and his government. We support his vision of a successful and united Nigeria, and we will cooperate with him to make it a reality. We implore all of our followers and members to maintain composure and harmony while working to construct
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