Pro-Biafra supports stand near a placard on May 30, 2017 in Abidjan, during commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the Nigerian civil war. Nigeria on May 30 marks 50 years since the declaration of an independent Republic of Biafra plunged the country into a civil war, amid renewed tensions and fresh calls for a separate state. The main pro-independence groups — the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) — have called for a day of reflection. / AFP PHOTO / Sia KAMBOU (Photo credit should read SIA KAMBOU/AFP/Getty Images)Any attempt to slaughter Igbo in northern Nigeria “will lead to a swift, immediate and devastating retaliation throughout the south,” former Minister of Aviation and ex-Presidential spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode warned on Thursday, adding that such a miscalculation will be similar to opening “the gates of hell”.
Mr. Fani-Kayode argued that “the northern youths must be warned and told in very clear terms. This is not 1966. Any pogrom or slaughter of Igbo in the north will lead to a swift, immediate and devastating retaliation throughout the south”.
He was reacting to a threat by a northern group, which warned all Igbo living in that part of the country to leave northern Nigeria within three months or face the consequences.
“Those that gave the Igbo quit notice in the north are playing with fire and that fire will consume them. They are opening the gates of hell and they will enter that gate,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.
“They are plunging us into darkness and we shall enter that darkness together. Nigeria belongs to us all.
“I urge the core Muslim northern elders and leaders to call their youths to order before they spark off a series of events and a crisis that may not only lead to a second civil war but will also lead to the end of Nigeria.
“This time around the Igbo are not alone. An attack on them is an attack on every southerner and every Middle Belter. And such an attack will have grave and unfathomable consequences,” he added.
Katsina State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has ordered the arrest and prosecution of those behind the threats. Mr. el-Rufai is from northern Nigeria and one out of several Muslims who are trying to douse the tension and bring peace to Nigeria.
The Nigerian civil war 50 years ago started with a coup, counter coup, and killings of Igbo in northern Nigeria. Before long, it all escalated into secession. It lasted about three years and led to the death of more than a million people. Many Nigerians who witnessed it have been warning that the return to war was not acceptable.