Northern group threatens to cut food supply to South over Igboho's comments

A group under the aegis of the Northern Consensus Movement of Nigeria has threatened to cut off the food supply to the southern part of the country following recent remarks of Yoruba nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

Igboho, in a statement two weeks ago, gave murderous Fulani herdsmen a seven-day ultimatum to vacate communities in the Southwest, saying, "We are not going to take laws into our hands, but they must leave.”

His warning came in the wake of killings of some farmers in Oyo and Ogun States by herdsmen believed to be of Fulani extraction.

In response, the northern group demanded a withdrawal of the threat and vowed to do everything in its reach to stop the move.

It, however, said if the threat persists, it will be left with no other choice but to force Yorubas living in the northern part of the country to evacuate their region.

The group's threats were conveyed by its President, Awwal Aliyu, during a media briefing on Thursday, November 2, 2023.

“Just recently, Sunday Igboho was released from prison but he issued a fresh ultimatum for the Fulani community that are living in Yorubaland to leave the region within seven days.

“This time around, we the Northern Consensus Movement of Nigeria will do everything possible to stop that move and if he resists listening, then we have no option other than to ask the Yorubas who are living in northern Nigeria to also go back to their region," Aliyu said in the video of the conference which has gone viral.

The group also demanded compensation for its loved ones who are victims of the ENDSARs killings, the Shasha-Akinyele market and the IPOB/ESN killings.

According to Aliyu, several efforts by the group to get the compensation have proven abortive as their pleas were ignored by the previous and current leadership in the country.

The group, therefore, issued a four-week ultimatum for their demands to be met, saying that failure to do so would force it to not only embark on a nationwide protest but also stop food supplies to the southern part of the country.

It added that “On the issue of compensation to our victims of the ENDSARS killing, SASA-Akinyele market killings and IPOB and ESN killings, we have been pursuing it for several years now. Since previous administrations, a lot of promises were made but the Federal Government refused to fulfill the promises.

“So, we are requesting President Bola Tinubu to do something to it as we are giving a four-week ultimatum. If nothing is done, we are going on peaceful protest, after which we will shut down the country on all food supplies moving from the North to all Southern parts of the country.

“This thing we have sent to the President even before he was elected, we have also forwarded this demand and request. All heads of security agencies are aware of it. all governors of the 19 northern states, all former leaders, former presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, most especially those from the North are aware of it.

“The Northern traditional councils are aware of it, the 19 Northern state assemblies are also aware of it.”