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Arewa Youths, IPOB leaders may be charged for terrorism

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Arewa Youths, IPOB leaders may be charged for terrorism

The leaders of Arewa Youths and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) risk being charged and jailed for terrorism if their agitations continue to be powered by hate speeches.

The Federal Government, in the strongest possible signal, came down hard on promoters of hate speech on Thursday when the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, speaking at the Security Retreat of the National Economic Council, declared hate speech an act of terrorism.

He said that the government has drawn a line on hate speeches and warned that transgressors will be dealt with accordingly.

“The Federal Government has today drawn the line on hate speech. Hate speech is a specie of terrorism. Terrorism as it is defined popularly is the unlawful use of violence or intimidation against individuals or groups especially for political ends. The law, that is the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 (as amended), defines terrorism as inter Alia, an act which deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm or damage a country or seriously intimidate a population.

The intimidation of a population by words, by speech is an act of terrorism and this government intends to take this matter very seriously. As I have said, we’ve drawn a line against hate speech, it will not be tolerated, it will be taken as an act of terrorism and all of the consequences will follow it,”Osinbajo warned.

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He added, “I call on all business, religious and political leaders, whatever your political leaning, your religion or tribe or faith to condemn in the strongest possible terms at all times, hate speech.

“Speech that promotes violence against an individual or group, especially when such comes from people of your own faith, tribe or group, your silence in such situations can only be seen as an endorsement.”

Drawing examples from modern day history, Osinbajo said, “Hate speech, and the promotion of the same throughout history from Nazi Germany and the extermination of Jews to the Rwandan genocide succeeded in achieving their barbarous ends by the silence of influential, voices from the aggressor communities.

“When leaders in communities that speak in such a manner as to create dissension or to intimidate a population are quiet, they do a great disservice to our unity and nation.

“This is why I urge all of our political leaders, religious leaders, business leaders and all of those who truly want a united country and a country where there will be peace and security, to ensure that we do not tolerate by our silence the hate speech that we hear every day in our community.”

Nigeria’s political landscape has recently been dominate by hate speeches, especially coming from agitators clamouring for self-determination in the Southeast and northern youths issuing quit notices to people from the Igbo ethnic stock.

 

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0 Comments

  1. JOHNSON PETER

    August 17, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    Whether hate speech or not, we shall get our Biafra

    • Animashaun Ayodeji

      August 18, 2017 at 5:41 am

      The federal government should start with you. You and your other agitators are terrorists seeking for the disunity of Nigeria.

  2. yanju omotodun

    August 18, 2017 at 5:25 am

    I just know that the hate speech is political and the people behind it are those who have ulterior motives

    • Balarabe musa

      August 18, 2017 at 6:07 am

      You could be right or wrong as well

  3. Abeni Adebisi

    August 18, 2017 at 5:54 am

    The biafrans even already have their own security service under the roof of Nigeria, this is more reason they should be arrested. The Arewa youths are being used by the norther politicians to discomfort the Igbos, if FG digs deeper, their sponsors will be revealed.

    • Balarabe musa

      August 18, 2017 at 6:06 am

      You may be right and at the same time wrong, but my stand point of the matter is that, arewa youths are bastards and we are not in support of them, so the federal government should arrest them

  4. Anita Kingsley

    August 18, 2017 at 6:07 am

    Empty threats the cannot yield anything! The Nigerian government is weak, it cannot control anything in this useless country. We biafrans use words selectively and we use the right words in every situation. If they want to effect their arrest threat, they should start with their VIP citizens – Hausas.

  5. Oise Oikelomen

    August 18, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    Very funny indeed. Abeg, Prof, don’t fritter away the small goodwill you enjoy among Nigerians. You are beginning to sound ridiculous with all these your empty threats and funny talk.

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