Niger Delta Agitators yesterday, advised the Federal Government to utilise the large expanse of land at the Sambisa Forest for the contentious Ruga settlement project.
The agitators, in a statement jointly signed by Gen. John Dukku and others, maintained that the RUGA settlement plan by the government was in tandem with alleged plot to Fulanise and Islamise the entire country.
The agitators, who frowned at the threat by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), which issued a 30-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government to implement the Ruga settlement policy, said that it smacks of responsibility and insensibility to the wishes of Nigerians on the part of the CNG to call for the implementation of a policy that had already been suspended by the Federal Government.
They vowed to resist any form of invasion of land in the oil rich Niger Delta region under the guise of Ruga settlement policy.
“The attention of the Coalition of Niger Delta agitators has been drawn to the recent second round of 30 days ultimatum issued by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) to the Federal Government urging it to forcefully implement the suspended RUGA settlement for Fulani herdsmen across the country or they will resort to self-help and destruction of lives and property of southerners resident in the North.
“The Coalition of Northern Groups further issued an ultimatum to southerners living in the North to vacate if their various state governments refused to donate lands to Federal Government for the implementation of its suspended RUGA settlement within the said 30 days.
“We are surprised that in a time like this when killings of innocent citizens is the order of the day by CNG brothers, we thought CNG and Arewa youths would have risen above ethnic sentiments to condemn the unprovoked killings and the high rate of poverty in the land, rather they are bent on worsening the already tensed situation by issuing unwarranted threat.
“While we see the recent RUGA settlement plan by the Federal Government as its plot to Fulanise and Islamise the entire country by proxy, we also want the CNG to note that there is no settlement in the entire northern part of Nigeria allocated to any tribe or ethnic group of southern origin by the Federal Government under any name or guise. Therefore, the recent threat by CNG is ill-conceived and foolishly advised by their sponsors/war-mongers who feel they are super humans.
“We, therefore, also want to re-echo that the entire South-South and Niger Delta would never part any of its land to Fulani terrorists no matter the amount of threat as we are ready for your threats.
“We advise the northern youths and the Presidency to build their planned Fulani settlements in Sambisa Forest and stop chasing shadows as such ethnic plan would only spell doom for the country.
“The Coalition of Northern Groups, Arewa youths, MACBAN, northern elders, the security agencies and the Presidency should note that any Niger Deltan or southerner killed by northern youths as a result of this threat shall receive severe and adequate response from us.
“At this juncture, we call on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police to immediately arrest and prosecute these promoters of hate-speech, otherwise they should be ready for nationwide violence as soon as the 30 days ultimatum is over.
“In like manner, all the northerners resident in the Niger Delta should leave within the next 30 days. We are ready for northern youths and we shall kill 10 northerners in response to any single southerner killed in the North,” the statement said.
