The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) says it has concluded arrangements to organise security summit with youth leaders across the 36 states of the federation and FCT to address emerging security threats in the country.

Its National Matron, Hajiya Aisha Audu, made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

She stated that the council was worried about recent comments by leaders of some ethnic nationalities, noting that such remarks could create unnecessary tension in the country.

Audu said the security summit would bring youth leaders of all ethnic groups across the six geo political zones of the country to enhance national cohesion among the youth.

She appealed to ethnic nationalities to embrace peace and refrain from making inflammatory statements that could disrupt the peaceful co-existence in the country.

Malam Gambo Jagindi, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of NYCN, also advised leaders of ethnic groups to stop making demands that could cause disorder and fear in the country.

He said the council was appealing to all aggrieved groups to embrace peace, as the country belonged to all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic background.

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He added that aggrieved persons and groups were at liberty to state their demands without recourse to violence, threat, intimidation and insult.

According to him, it is normal in a pluralistic society like Nigeria to have disagreements, noting however that discrepancies should be resolved amicably without hurting anybody.

He added that “the appeal is particularly to the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, the Ohanaeze Youth Wing, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Oodua Youths, Niger Delta Youth, Arewa Elders Forum and other ethnic nationalities to keep the peace.

He stressed that “it is only in an atmosphere of peace that meaningful development can be achieved and we are better together as Nigerians.”

A coalition of 16 northern youth groups, on June 7, gave Igbo residing in the north up to October 1, 2017 to vacate the region, after a joint meeting in Kaduna.

The ultimatum came days after the shutting down of major towns in the South East on May 30, 2017, as part of campaign by IPOB for the actualisation of Biafra Republic.

The action of the northern youths shows that the agitations for self-determination are spiraling out of control and leaders need to immediately intervene to stop such agitations from resulting to violence. (NAN)