Reps reject moves to probe detention of northerners in South-east

By Umar Muhammad Puma

The House of Representatives yesterday rejected a motion seeking to investigate the continued harassment, intimidation and detention of northerners who were arrested in Imo state, south-east Nigeria.

The motion, which was brought on the floor of the House under the matters of urgent national importance, by Rep Aminu Sulaiman (APC Kano), was in an unusual manner killed by the House when it was put to vote.

Though, the motion was not read on the floor, mover of the motion, Rep Sulaiman, who spoke to Peoples Daily said the aim of the motion was to try to avert reprisal from the North as, according to him, eighty nine percent of the south easterners in Kano are residing in his constituency.

“This is a process that is capable of setting tribes against one another and where this is predominant is in the South-East, that is what I had wanted to read and as you know, the people that travelled a lot in this country are the south-easterners, so if some people try to engage in reprisal attacks it will be too bad for the country.

He warns that It will be grossly unfair to term any northerner as a first line suspected Boko Haram, saying,”Look at what is happening in Abuja today; every place of business of northerners has become an area of interest for security agents, to wipe the place and the people out of business.

“There are places in Abuja where people spend the night socializing, drinking, engaging themselves in one form of socializing but nobody attack these places, but the security went out and closed down farmers’ market, Garki area 11, simply because these places are dominated by northerners.

He therefore appeal to the President Jonathan to call the security agencies to order. “I’m not sure the President has sanction this act, but his silence speaks volume, the President must act, let them know that as much as Boko Haram is prevalent in the north, not every northerner is Boko Haram, a syphatetic to them.