Arewa Youth Denies Saying “The North will go to War over #EndSARS”
Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has denied a statement credited to its National President, Yerima Yettima which he purportedly made in Mina, Niger State that the North was ready for war. A online medium had reported that Yerima said the North would go to war if Southerners remove President Muhammadu Buhari through #EndSARS protests that have rocked Nigeria.
Abubakar Liman, the Legal Adviser of AYCF, in a statement made available to NigerianEcho said Yerima Shettima has never been associated with combative or violent protest to opposing views, for whatever reason.
“Our National President has always been a Democrat, following legitimate constitutional processes in his agitations and it is for this reason he has built a record of fearless activism but free of violence.
“Much as any other Civil Society group is free to choose the combative or violent mode of protest, we at the AYCF do not and will never resort to such abhorrent method. The AYFC is a platform of matured citizens who strongly believe in deepening Nigeria’s democracy.
“The false claim of war being attributed to our National President was indeed malicious and we will not take it lying low.
“Just like our National President, we are unapologetic in the promotion of democracy through legal and legitimate means, in line with the nation’s Constitution, which supports presentation of grievances with respect to the Rule of Law.
“We remain a Northern support group of matured minds, who cannot be intimidated or stampeded into compromising the North’s and its peoples’ principles or interests”, Liman stated.