Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State

Kaduna State Government says it has obtained a bench warrant for the arrest of members of the coalition of Northern youths who issued a notice to Igbo residents  in the North to leave by October 1.

In a statement released on Thursday,  the government therefore urged members of the public to inform the police anytime those who issued the quit notice are seen or sighted.

It will be recalled that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State had ordered arrest of members of the group following the declaration.

However, the Governor’s order was not complied with until members of the coalition later  withdrew the ultimatum, following consultations and mediation by both Northern and Igbo leaders.

Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to the Kaduna governor said the state government had lodged a criminal complaint against those behind the quit notice and obtained a bench warrant against them.

“Therefore, anybody that sights them or is aware of their location should proudly discharge the civic duty of informing the police,” statement said.

According to the state government, “The criminal complaint specifies the sections of the recently updated Penal Code Law of Kaduna State, 2017 that were violated by those who issued the illegal ultimatum.

“These include Inciting Disturbance: Section 78; Disturbing Public Peace: Section 77; Injurious Falsehood: Section 373; Unlawful Assembly: Section 66; and Criminal Conspiracy: Section 59.

“The formal criminal complaint and the bench warrant secured on August 8, 2017, provide a basis to investigate, apprehend and ultimately prosecute the suspects.

“Accordingly, a competent court has directed the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State to act on the criminal complaint. The Kaduna State Government considers this a most important matter of law enforcement, and will not relent on the matter.

“Anybody contemplating unlawful action should know that such will invite a vigorous law enforcement response.

“The Kaduna State Government is persuaded that a law-governed society should always signal that sanctions will follow illegal behaviour. This is in the interest of justice, peace and harmony.”

The State government asked all residents of the state to go about their lawful business, uphold and respect their neighbours and report any suspicious activity or person as nobody has the power to evict another citizen or to tell them where they can or cannot live.

The government of Kaduna State also assured that the government and the security agencies were working to prevent any threats to peace and harmony, adding that vigorous security patrols will continue as part of concrete actions to reassure residents and demonstrate that bad behaviour was unwelcome and would not be tolerated.