The Department of State Service (DSS) has suddenly, after
close to three weeks of standing mandate of the Arewa Youths that the Igbo
should leave the north before October 1 deemed it proper to issue a statement
to deal with troublemakers.
It stated in a press statement that “in line with its
statutory mandate of ensuring the internal security of the country, DSS wishes
to inform the public that it will stop at nothing to deploy all resources at
its disposal to identify and deal with all those culpable, as well as maintain
peace and order in every length and breadth of the nation.” It also said it
“has already commenced a detailed investigation to get the perpetrators of
these hate campaigns as well as their sponsors. At the appropriate time all
those involved in these condemnable acts will be unmasked and decisively dealt
with in line with the laws of the land.” To this effect, it warns, in very
clear terms, all those who are charting the course of disunity among Nigerians
to desist from their divisive actions.
The Service is also not oblivious of the
efforts of some miscreants to ignite fear and cause ethnic tensions across the
country. It strongly condemns in its entirety the call for relocation of anyone
to places against their wishes. Such relocation order is not only illegal, but
it is strongly viewed to be against the spirit of our Constitution which allows
for freedoms of movement and association among others. The DSS, therefore,
frowns at the tendency some ethnic chauvinists easily and cheaply resort to
hate speeches, misinformation and total manipulation of information especially
on the social media simply to fan the embers of discord and subvert the efforts
of government in implementing its policies for the good of everyone.
DSS stated that it has “watched with keen interest the
disturbing trend desperate and mischievous elements have tended to steer the
ship of our nationhood to calamity and irretrievable destruction. Recently, the
Arewa Youths in a press statement called for the relocation of the Igbos from
the North. Unfortunately, this development has been followed by a release from
an unknown source styled, Niger Delta Watchdogs, threatening all Northerners to
quit Niger Delta region.
Meanwhile, another group went to the extent of
harvesting from the internet, a horrific accident scene, for the purpose of
making it look like a site of massacre of Igbo ethnic group by Northern youths.
“However, the Service has been able to establish that the purported murder
scene being depicted as a field of massacre was a high casualty accident scene
which occurred along Owo-Akure road, Ondo State, on 3rd March, 2016.”
The Sun
