Security agents close in on quit notice sponsors

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Operatives profile youth groups

The police and other security agencies are searching for the
sponsors of the 16 Northern youth groups that issued an October 1
quit notice to Igbo living in the North, it was learnt
yesterday.

A covert profiling of the youth groups and their sponsors has
been going on in the last three weeks.

But the arrest of leaders of the youth groups has been put on
hold following intelligence report that their sponsors may have
planned to set the nation on fire.

It was learnt that Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was
awaiting a briefing from the police and security agencies on why
they had not arrested the youths.

A top security source said the police and other security
agencies were trailing suspected sponsors of the Northern
youths.

The agencies are said to be of the opinion that it is better to
“get to the root of the hate crisis” rather than just arresting the
youth leaders.

Another source privy to the ongoing investigation said: “We are
searching for the sponsors of these youths and we are closing in on
them gradually. Part of the intelligence report we received was a
plot to use the arrest of the youths to trigger off spontaneous
attacks in the North.

“The police and security agencies, however, beat the plotters to
their game by staying action on the arrest of the youths. Besides,
the Ramadan period could be volatile in the North.

“The activities of these youths were partly politically-induced
and ethnically-motivated. This is why we are trying to unmask the
sponsors and why they will prefer to set the nation on fire.

“They also have a few others suspected to be bankrolling these
youths.”

The source added: “We are already conducting the profiling of
all the 16 groups, their patrons and past activities. We are
closing in on their sponsors

“No doubt, the boys who issued the quit notice are known; they
are not above the law but we will not arrest them now based on the
intelligence at our disposal

“It is better to dig deeper than doing a hasty job. Even the
political authority prefers a cautious approach to the matter.

“We know the right thing to do but the police and security
agencies cannot operate in isolation of the larger picture before
the political leadership.”

The source also said the police and security agencies were being
proactive before any clampdown.

All police commands and security agencies have been directed to
strengthen surveillance and security for the Igbo in the North.

The quit notice was designed to cause mayhem and create sudden
security challenges in the North.

“At the appropriate time, the law will take its course on any
group or individual trying to set the nation on fire,” a security
source said.

Asked what has been done, the source added: “We have placed all
the 16 youths on special monitoring.”

El-Rufai has not received the report from the police and
security agencies on why the youths have not been arrested,
according to a source who said: They had not given any reason for
not arresting the boys.

“The position of the governor is that the youths must be
arrested. It is dangerous to leave these boys because we don’t know
what will play out on or before October 1,” the source said.

Sixteen youth groups, under the aegis of the Coalition of
Northern Youths, on June 6 gave the Igbo up to October 1 to vacate
the three geopolitical zones in the North.

Some of the youth organisations at the Kaduna meeting are Arewa
Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Arewa
Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students Forum and Northern
Emancipation Network on the Igbo Persistence for Secession.