False: North will go to war if Southerners remove Buhari with #EndSARS protest – AREWA leader, Shettima

…Disregard report, it’s false – Shettima

The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, National President, Yerima Shettima has refuted reports of threatening that the North would go to war over End SARS protest.

The said report which made the rounds on social media and seen by our reporter was first published by an online medium,

We will go to war if southerners wants to use this #Endsars protest to remove buhari- Shettima

And also on Vanguard report, #EndSARS/#EndSWAT: Group bombs Shettima Yerima over alleged war statement https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2020/10/endsars-endswat-group-bombs-shettima-yerima-over-alleged-war-statement/amp/ ,had claimed that Shettima had threatened that the North would go to war if President Muhammadu Buhari is removed by Southerners using the #Endsars protest.

However, condemning the report, Shettima, in a statement signed by the Forum’s Legal Adviser, Barr. Abubakar Liman, said the claims made by the report was as false as it was malicious. He urged the general public to disregard the report.

The statement described the group’s National President as a democrat who is not against opposing views.

According to the statement: “The attention of the AYCF has been drawn to a news by an online platform, in which our National President was purportedly threatening war against the EndSARS protests.

“The online newspapers’ sensational and fictitious news stories said our National President has declared that “North will go to war if Southerners remove Buhari”. This is a concoction of the publishers’ riotous imagination. We therefore state as follows:

“Our National President – Alhaji Yerima Shettima has never ever been associated with combative or violent protest to opposing views, for whatever reason.

“Our National President has always been a Democrat, following legitimate constitutional processes in his agitations and it is for this reason he has built a record of fearless activism but free of violence.

“The AYFC is a platform of matured citizens who strongly believe in deepening Nigeria’s democracy.

“The false claim of war being attributed to our National President was indeed malicious and we will not take it lying low.

“Just like our National President, we are unapologetic in the promotion of democracy through legal and legitimate means, in line with the nation’s constitution, which supports presentation of grievances with respect to the Rule of Law.”

It would be recalled that millions of Nigerians as well as those in the Diaspora have taken to the streets under the #endsars protests to condemn the incessant killings of the youths by the police. They are also demanding for good governance among several other demands. The protests have gained international attention as well as support and solidarity, with many foreigners endorsing the protests.

Although the police have effected a swift reform of the system, the efforts have been rejected by the protesters who have said that the moves are inadequate.