- Prof. Ango Abdullahi says his statement
backing the quit notice issued in the north
shouldn't spark any controversy because Nigeria
has been a polarised state for a long time
- Abdullahi says no one has told him he
committed a crime as there is freedom of speech
in the country
- However, the northern elder says he will
support the Igbos in their dream of building a
Biafra state
Prof. Ango Abdullahi, former vice-chancellor of
the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state,
has reacted again after he sparked controversy
following his approval of a statement by Arewa
youths, asking Igbo to leave the North on or
before October 1, 2017.
According to Abdullahi, who is the spokesperson
for the Northern Elders Forum, his backing of the
quit notice issued to Igbos in the North, has
changed nothing, because Nigeria has been a
polarised state for a long time. Speaking in an inconclusive interview with The
Punch and responding to a question if he was
aware that his statement had sparked
controversy, with Nigerians describing it as
having the tendency to polarise the country and
cause violence, Abdullahi said: “Well, I’m not a
fan of newspapers or radio but I will take it from
you that it has sparked controversy. The country
had already been polarised. It is already polarised.
Well, maybe it added another dimension to the
polarisation but the country had been polarised. As
far as I am concerned, the country has been
polarised for a long time. From 1966, the country
has remained polarised.”
Prof. Ango Abdullahi says he will support Biafra
after backing quit notice issued to Igbos
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On if he was aware that some people are calling
for his arrest, Abdullahi said: “Am I too important
not to be arrested if I have committed an offence?
If I have committed a crime; of course, why not? It
is also an opinion; some people may wish me
dead. Is that not so? There might be some people
who want me arrested. I thought that all countries
have legal systems that qualify offences and
depending on the gravity of the offence, measures
are taken against offenders and so on. If I have
committed an offence, I expect that somebody
would have drawn my attention to it, but I don’t
think anybody has drawn my attention to an
offence that I have committed. All I have done is to
express my freedom of speech and this is
guaranteed in the country as far as I know.”
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