Quit notice: DSS debunks alleged massacre of Igbos fleeing north

The Department of State Services, DSS, has debunked the news making the rounds that some Igbos fleeing the northern part of the country following the quit notice given to them by the Arewa groups were massacred while on their way to the east. The DSS, however, warned Nigerians against hate speech or threatening members of different ethnic groups.


A statement by its Spokesperson, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, said that a video purportedly showing the massacre of Igbos was, in reality, the scene of an accident which occurred along the Owo-Akure Road, Ondo State, on March 3, 2016.

“Those involved in these misleading and despicable acts have since been warned to desist from anything capable of causing disaffection and stoking nationwide tensions.”

DSS also condemned the quit notice giving to Igbos in the North by Arewa Youths, saying “Such relocation order is not only illegal, but it is strongly viewed to be against the spirit of our Constitution which allows for freedoms of movement and association among others.”

DSS also urged Nigerians to Ignore the “persuasions by these tribal jingoists to make our beloved country a theatre of the absurd and bloodletting,” maintaining that it “…will stop at nothing to deploy all resources at its disposal to identify and deal with all those culpable, as well as maintain peace and order in every length and breadth of the nation”.

Recall that a coalition of northern youths have again written a letter to the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, begging him to allow Igbos go out of the Nigerian agreement with their Biafra Republic.

In the letter signed by Ambassador Shettima Yerima, Joshua Viashman, Aminu Adam, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman and Nastura Ashir Sharif, the Northern group however argued that the principle of self-determination has since world war II become a part of the United Nations Charter, which states in Article 1(2) that one of the purposes of the UN is “to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples”.