SAN FRANCISCO, August 07, (THEWILL) – A former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has decried the circulation of a song disparaging and wishing people of Igbo origin dead in certain parts of the country, urging all men of goodwill to rise up against the evil.
Noting that the song is reminiscent of the early days of the Rwanda Genocide, he called on Nigerians to note that the Rwanda Genocide was believed to have been ignited by a song titled Nanga Abahutu (I hate Hutus), sung by Rwanda’s then most popular musician, Simon Bikindi.
In a statement personally signed by him and issued by his media office on Monday, Atiku declared that God forbids that Nigeria should have a déjà vu of the 1994 ugly incident in Rwanda.
“I call on the security agencies to thoroughly and decisively swing into action and apprehend, try, convict and severely punish those behind this ungodly song which incites racial hatred. Simon Bikindi was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for igniting and aiding the Rwandan genocide. Thus, let those who think they can treat their fellow citizens so unjustly know that within and outside Nigeria exist mechanisms that will ensure they answer to their crimes.
“I call on all men of goodwill to remember those immortal lines from our former National Anthem “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand,” he said.
The former vice president pointed out that the effects of hate in any shape or form were made even more evident over the weekend in the mass shooting incident at a church in Ozubulu in Anambra State.
While commiserating with persons, who lost family members in the fatal shooting that also left almost a score injured, he prayed that “peace will return to their minds and their community soon, even as the police work hard to get to the bottom of the matter. May God comfort them as no man can.
“The difference between us as Nigerians is not a difference in our tribe or our religion. It was and remains a difference based on whether we are good Nigerians or bad Nigerians, and I am very certain that the good Nigerians far outnumber the very few bad ones,” the statement added.
