20/05/2025
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: UNLAWFUL HARASSMENT, ARREST, AND ASSAULT OF NORTHERNERS IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA MUST END
A Deliberate Path to Chaos Through the Provocation of Innocent Citizens
We are deeply disturbed by the persistent and systematic targeting, harassment, and violence against Northerners traveling or residing in the Southeast and Southwest regions of Nigeria. Year after year, we have seen countless videos and images—disturbing evidence of innocent lives being disrupted, dignity stripped, and, in many cases, lives lost in the most brutal manner.
It has become an alarming trend that Northerners—particularly those traveling in groups—are unfairly profiled and labeled as bandits or members of Boko Haram. This dangerous stereotype has led to tragic consequences. Let it be known that the actions of terrorist groups do not reflect the identity or values of an entire region or people. Associating all Northerners with such inhumanity is not only unjust, it is in itself an act of violence.
In a recent horrific incident caught on video, a group of young hunters from Kano State traveling for legitimate purposes were accosted while onboard a Dangote trailer. They were forcibly removed, physically assaulted, stripped naked, and set ablaze. This gruesome and unjustifiable act has shaken our collective conscience. We appreciate the calm exhibited by our communities in response, especially in trusting His Excellency, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf Executive Governor of Kano State, to seek justice through all lawful and constitutional means.
Tragically, even before the wounds of that atrocity could begin to heal, another video surfaced showing Northern laborers—on their way to the Dangote refinery in Lagos—being harassed and interrogated in a degrading manner. These men, clearly carrying employment identification, were treated with suspicion and contempt by individuals who appeared to act with either state approval or indifference.
This pattern of profiling, humiliation, and violence is not only unconstitutional, it is a threat to our fragile national unity and peaceful coexistence. No Nigerian should ever be targeted for their ethnicity or region of origin.
We therefore demand the immediate cessation of these unjust acts. We call on state governments, security agencies, and civil society across Nigeria to rise in defense of justice, human rights, and the rule of law.
The sanctity of human life must be upheld. Let peace reign through justice—not through silence.
Comrade Alhassan Haruna Dambatta Chairman kungiyar Matasan Kano