BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – The Arewa Youth for Peace and Security has described the killing of Gulak, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as politically motivated and should therefore not be linked to any tribal issue.
National President of the group, Alhaji Salisu Magaji, who stated the position of the group during an interview with journalists in Bauchi, therefore cautioned Nigerians against giving Gulak’s murder an ethnic colouration.
Magaji opined that northern elders and leaders have been going to the South East on daily basis without any problem adding Igbos have also been going about their legitimate businesses in the North without any hitch.
He advised Nigerians not to allow the assassination of Gulak to be used to further cause division and disunity among Nigerians.
In his words; “Gulak was a PDP man before he joined the APC and was the Chairman of APC governorship Primaries in Imo State in 2018.
“Gulak complained that some people wanted to abduct him several times but never succeeded and also alleged that he was given a bribe of two million dollars which he turned down.
“Nigerians are aware of these allegations because he complained publicly. APC lost the election and PDP won the governorship election. Later, Hope Uzodinma was given the slot as Governor of Imo State. Gulak went to Imo to see Uzodinma. So, this is not an issue of North versus South East.
“Our leaders, like Professor Ango Abdullah used to go to the South East and come back safely.
“Gulak never spoke for the North and had never defended the North whatsoever. He was just an APC man, a politician and his assassination is not Igbo versus North because our people go to the area and come back safely,” he said.
Magaji urged the police to investigate the killing with a view to unraveling the motive and castigated some groups in the north for insinuating that Gulak was killed by Igbos because he was a northerner.
He said; “The police should investigate the killing thoroughly because Gulak had complained that they wanted to abduct him and even offered him bribe of two million dollars over the issues relating to the APC primary but he refused”.
Magaji assured that Igbos in the north are safe and assured that nobody from the north would attack them, saying; “They are our brothers, they are Nigerians and the issues of Igbo versus north should not arise over Gulak”.
“We want justice and we want peace in this country. We are living with Igbos successfully in this country and they are doing their businesses legally, so the issue of attacking this and attacking that does not arise,” he said.
