Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle has warned southerners to be wary of provoking the North with threats and attacks on it’s people in the South.
Matawalle made the call on Thursday, while he strongly warned that the silence of those in the north should not be taken as weakness.
In a press statement on Thursday, entitiled, “Enough of the attacks on Northerners and their economic interests”, Matawalle said henceforth, the north will not tolerate such impudence against its people in the south and by extension president Muhammadu Buhari.
While insisting that current happenings in the country has made it imperative for him as a political leader and northerner to issue a statement, he warned that this was not the time to play politics with the issue.
“So much is happening to the North and Northerners. Today, their lives, dignity and possessions are being threatened by the unfriendly South even as we try as Northern leaders to always calm the situation and to protect the interest, businesses and dignity of all southerners living in the North.
“Despite what Northerners are experiencing today in many parts of the South West and South East in particular, all we hear is the conspiracy of silence from Northern leaders, Northern elites that supposed to stand firm the manner other leaders of the South are doing even when they know that their people are at fault. That must not continue.
“As Northern leaders, our dignified silence in the face of constant provocation, attacks because of our desire for peace MUST not be taken as a sign of weakness as no community, no region has the monopoly of violence. If Northerners and their means of livelihood will not be protected, accommodated and be dignified anywhere they chose to stay in any part of the South, Southerners should NOT expect such reciprocal protection from the North as the North has more than what it takes to respond to any kind of aggression and hatred.
“We have seen the destruction, the killings and the devastation recently at Sasha Market against Northerners and their economic interests. Properties worth billions of Naira were lost in addition to human lives yet some leaders in the South West are downplaying the atrocities committed or at best justifying it. Some of them have shamefully gone to the extent of apportioning blames on the victims and casualties of their aggression,” he lamented.
He further drew reference to last Sunday’s killings of northerners in Imo State, describing it as “xenophobic attacks”.
