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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, HAFIZ RINGIM



Police dismiss Boko Haram’s ultimatum to southerners

The Police Force Headquarters has dismissed the threat of the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, warning southerners to leave the North within three days.

Boko Haram warned southerners on Monday to leave the northern part of the country, saying their safety was no longer guaranteed in the area.

Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation in Hausa late Sunday, Boko Haram spokesman, Abu Qaqa, said the notice was in response to Saturday’s state of emergency declared by the Federal Government in some parts of the North.

The government declared emergency in parts of Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Niger states and deployed more troops after bomb attacks left at least 40 people dead and 73 wounded in a Christmas Day bombings in Suleja, Jos and Damaturu.

Qaqa said, “Our fellow Muslims are advised to come back to the North because we have evidence that they would be attacked.

We are also giving three days ultimatum to the southerners living in northern Nigeria to move away.

“We find it pertinent to state that soldiers will only kill innocent Muslims in the local government areas where the state of emergency was declared.

“We would confront them squarely to protect our brothers.” But the police dismissed as empty and baseless the threat by the group that it would attack southerners that failed to leave the North within three days.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Yemi Ajayi, in Abuja added that the police were ready to frustrate attacks on innocent people.

“We want to assure all Nigerians that they are safe wherever they may be residing. The Nigeria police has the mandate of protecting lives and property and we will continue to discharge that responsibility without fear or favour.

Ajayi said the police had the mandate to protect all Nigerians, adding that adequate measures had been put in place to secure lives and property in the country.

But a prominent northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum, said on Monday the three-day ultimatum issued by Boko Haram to southerners resident in the North to leave the region was senseless.

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