In the event that Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader, gets freed, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, or AYCF, has outlined its next course of action.
If Kanu is released, the AYCF forewarned, it will seek restitution for Northerners murdered and their property ruined in the Southeast.
The National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, claimed that releasing Kanu would be a demonstration of the government’s weakness.
Shettima pointed out that the release of the IPOB leader could be viewed as a sign that the government is intimidated by him and that the security forces are overburdened.
He emphasized that if Kanu were released, his case would be used as a benchmark for crimes committed in the future.
“Release Nnamdi Kanu because the Nigerian Government is afraid of him? Release him because Nigerian security has been overwhelmed by these criminals going about killing people like Northerners who go to that region to conduct their legitimate business? No, it’s not done in any society; all they need to do is to buckle up and face the monster” Shettima stated.
“The law must take its full course as they go around unleashing terror on innocent Nigerians, including their own people, the law must be allowed to take its full course. If nothing is found on Kanu, he should be released, but I know it won’t be easy because he has said it and has taken such responsibility. We can’t be blackmailed, we are not cowards, and Nigerians can’t be cowards by a few individuals.
“If the government or the court, in their magnanimity, decide to find safe ground, they should bear in mind that they will demand that the lives of Northerners killed in broad daylight by these criminals be compensated.
“We already have files and documentation of Northerners killed and properties destroyed because we will demand compensation from the government for the people we have lost, billions lost; the government must be ready to pay.
“The government should just be aware that we will definitely come out to demand compensation; we will now know that we are in Banana Republic, where there is no law and order. We will always use this Nnamdi Kanu’s case as a reference point for any crime committed in the future; the government should be ready to take responsibility.”