The Federal Government yesterday warned of dire consequences for anyone who makes hate speeches capable of disrupting the peace of the country.Acting President Yemi Osinbajo issued the warning when he met with foremost leaders of northern extraction in the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday, vowing to ensure that any form of divisive behaviour is met with the full force of the law.
”I want to ensure that there is no doubt at all that it is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or violence because when we make these kinds of pronouncement and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property, we are no longer in control. Those who make those speeches are no longer in control.”
The quit notice given to Igbo in the north, if not well managed, could lead to ethnic hostilities that may cause the disintegration of the country. The meeting was the first phase of the government’s special engagements with regional leaders, including religious and traditional heads from the north and south-eastern part of the country in a bid to quickly arrest the emerging ethnic crisis. The parley came on the heels of the recent outrage that greeted the ultimatum by Arewa youths to Igbo to vacate the northern states.
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