The Coalition of Northern Groups in Nigeria (CNG) and the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) have condemned the gruesome murder of cattle and traders that happened as a result of the attack in Abia Cattle Market.
Recall that it was somber yesterday as gunmen late Tuesday night invaded the New Cattle Market at Omumauzor in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State, killing eight traders from the North and slaughtering over 20 cows.
They asked the Abia State government to fulfill its promise of bringing the killers to justice.
The CNG Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the state government must act quickly to bring the culprits to book and warned that the North would no longer tolerate unwarranted attacks on its people living as minorities in the South East or any other part of the country.
“We have studied the unfolding events carefully and with considerable restraint and maturity, to the point of condoning and accommodating several unreasonable and unacceptable actions that have been perpetrated against northerners in the South East in particular.
“The recent attack in Abia has taken matters to a point whereby silence has become complicity and inaction is no longer an option in the face of unprovoked evictions, attacks and killings of northerners in various parts of the South East,” he said.
Similarly, the National President of the AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, said the group was deeply concerned about the killing of the traders doing legitimate business.
While condemning the attack, he welcomed the prompt response of security agencies and urged the state government to pursue its promise to bring the killers to book, in the spirit of national unity and stability.
“The AYCF will be closely following the efforts of the Abia State government to fulfill its promise of providing compensation for the families and survivors of the attack. We pray this should be the last bad news we would hear about innocent northern traders, from not just Abia but the entire South east, in the spirit of national unity and stability,” he added.
