Northern coalition calls for boycott of Igbo businesses over IPOB’s ‘Fulani cow’ ban

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has called for boycott of businesses run by Igbo in the north.

On Monday, in a New Year message by Chika Edoziem, director of state of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the proscribed group banned the slaughtering of “Fulani cows” in the south-east.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, spokesman of the CNG, said the ban on beef by IPOB amounts to a grave provocation and serious threat to northern commercial interests in the south-east region.

The CNG noted that the boycott on businesses run by Igbo in the north will become effective from April.

“The statement further urged  northerners everywhere not to support any political party or form any political movement that has the active participation of South East politicians,” the group stated.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the North while maintaining its tradition of tolerance and accommodation shall however no longer be disposed to condoning further acts of irresponsibility in the form of deliberate threats of intimidation or harassment targeted at Northerners living and doing legitimate businesses elsewhere in the country.

“Since such targeted utterances have in the past being preludes to physical attacks on northerners and destruction of their properties in particularly the South East, we urge northern transporters and suppliers of goods to consider alternative trade routes to avoid the imminent risks that come with this IPOB threat.

“We warn that the North has had enough of the antagonism from the South East and its attack dog, the IPOB and will no longer remain passive under such deliberate and sustained attacks and will henceforth be forced to react to every provocation and unwarranted abuse and violations.

“All those who have no other useful vocation other than attacking northerners under the slightest of pretexts, should know that our patience has reached its nadir. “The North’s reticence in speaking out or taking action is not born of fear or ignorance of how to respond in kind.”

The IPOB had also banned the recitation of the Nigerian national anthem in the south-east.