By Mustapha Saye, Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the alleged profiling and deportation threats against Northern women by operatives of the Ondo State Amotekun Corps, describing the development as unconstitutional and a violation of the rights of Nigerian citizens.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the ACF Board of Trustees, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, the forum expressed concern over a widely circulated video allegedly showing Amotekun operatives arresting, profiling and publicly parading women of Hausa/Fulani origin residing and conducting lawful businesses in Ondo State.
Dalhatu stressed that Nigeria is built on the principles of equality, citizenship and the rule of law, adding that the Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedom to move and reside in any part of the country without discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, language or place of origin.
He said no state government or security agency has the legal authority to deport Nigerian citizens from one part of the federation to another on the basis of ethnic identity.
The ACF described the alleged public humiliation of women involved in legitimate economic activities as unacceptable in a democratic society.
While acknowledging the security challenges confronting different parts of the country, the forum urged authorities to tackle criminality through lawful investigations, credible intelligence gathering and evidence-based policing rather than ethnic profiling or collective punishment.
The forum warned that actions capable of worsening ethnic tensions should be avoided, noting that Nigerians from different regions have continued to coexist peacefully across the country.
It called on all stakeholders to uphold constitutional rights, strengthen national unity and avoid actions capable of threatening the country’s peace and cohesion.
