by Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, the sultan of Sokoto has expressed worry over the growing agitation for an independent Biafra state championed by some Igbo people and promised that a delegation from the northern traditional council will be sent to Igbo leaders to meet on the issue.
The Nation reports that the sultan raised this concern at the second general assembly of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council which held in Kaduna on Monday, November 23.
The Sultan who is the chairman of the council noted that there were millions of Igbo people living and doing business in their states peacefully and helping the economy to grow. He said millions of Igbo people were against the agitation for an independent state and that a delegation would be sent so that peace would reign.
“We are very much concerned about this issue because we know we have millions of millions of Igbos residing with us in our homes, in our towns, in our states, very peacefully, very industrious, helping our communities and our economy to grow and so many of them as we know, keep telling us that they have nowhere else to live than where they are presently living.
“Since we have this coordination with millions and millions of them, what is happening now is a thing of concern to us and we believe we should look at this issue and most likely set up a small committee of senior traditional rulers to go to South-East and engage our brothers there (traditional rulers) so that we will know how we can come in to stop this agitation.”
He applauded Igbo leaders who were against the separation and that the agitation must be totally condemned.
He said: “We believe in dialogue, whatever the problem is with anybody, we believe we should sit down and discuss and a solution will be found.”
Meanwhile, Chief Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party has warned that it will be disastrous for Nigeria to experience another civil war noting that no country had ever survived two civil wars.