DSS warns against hate speeches, as police fail to arrest Arewa youths

Ten days after the failure of Nigeria security agencies to arrest northern youths over the October 1, quit notice to Ndigbo in the North, the Department of State Services (DSS) has warned Nigerians against hate speeches.

It also cautioned those fanning the embers of discord in the country to desist from such activities.

Despite an order by the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai for the leaders of the Arewa youths who gave the quit notice order to be arrested, neither the DSS nor any other security department in the country has been able to arrest them.

However, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, in Abuja on Sunday, the DSS warned the Arewa youths and the Niger Delta militants against hate speeches.

In their response to the quit notice order to Ndigbo, a group of Niger Delta militants, the Niger Delta Watchdogs, had also demanded that northerners in the oil region must vacate their land.

The DSS in its statement on Sunday said it had observed how some Nigerians had been preaching hate in the last few weeks and warned those involved and their sponsors to desist from such.

Read also: Apostle Suleman accuses Buhari of plot to Islamise Nigeria

The DSS spokesperson described the whole event as disturbing and condemned the activities of those who had gone to the extent of picking a horrific accident scene and trying to make it look like a site of massacre of Igbo by northern youths.

He said, “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 the Owo- Akure Road, Ondo State, on March 3, 2016.

“Those involved in these misleading and despicable acts have since been warned to desist from anything capable of causing disaffection and stoking nationwide tensions.

“To this effect, all those who are charting the course of disunity among Nigerians must 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 freedom of movement and association among others.”

Opuiyo, therefore called on Nigerians to disregard the calls by those he described as ethnic jingoists and said it was instead,
time for Nigerians to show their humanity and patriotism to a one united indivisible nation.

He further revealed that the DSS is currently conducting investigations to unravel the perpetrators of the hate speeches and 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,” he said.

 

 

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