The three-day ultimatum given by Boko Haram to southerners residing in the North to quit has received severe criticisms from individuals and groups.
The dreaded Islamic group, which has claimed responsibility for the series of bombings leading to death of scores of people in parts of the North, on Sunday, gave southerners in the area notice to quit as their safety could no longer be guaranteed.
But former Nigeria Bar Association, Chairman, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba on Tuesday condemned the quit ultimatum, saying “this is a very big joke.”
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Nigeria, John Onaiyekan, called on Nigerians to ignore the threat.
Agbakoba, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos, called for a Sovereign National Conference to proffer solutions to the nation’s problems, including the Boko Haram issue.
He said of the group’s ultimatum to southerners to quit, “This is a very big joke. How can a group of people make such proclamation? Who gave them the right? They are simply confused.
Onaiyekan said, while Boko Haram might have succeeded so far in instilling fear, the group did not speak for all Nigerian Muslims, let alone all Nigerians.
“As for the reported ultimatum that was issued by somebody who is claiming to be speaking on behalf of Boko Haram, most Nigerians are not taking them seriously because, in the first place, it doesn’t seem to make sense,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council on Tuesday in Abuja advised Nigerians to disregard any threat from any group
A statement by the Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, urged the citizenry to remain calm and be law abiding by “shunning any provocative statement capable of causing division between the adherents of the two major faiths, Islam and Christianity.”
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Agbakoba, Onaiyekan condemn Boko Haram’s ultimatum to southerners