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| Atiku Abubakar |
Alhaji Atiku said the
song currently circulating in some parts of Nigeria could trigger a major
crisis as happened in Rwanda.
It would be recalled that hundreds of thousands of Rwandans
were killed in an inter-ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis, two major
groups in the East African country in 1994, following the death of that
country’s president in a plane crash.
In a statement released by his media office, which he personally
signed and titled, “Nigeria Does Not Need a Rwandan Deja vu”, Alhaji Atiku
urged all Nigerians to condemn what he said was “reminiscent of the beginning
of the Rwandan Genocide.”
The former president called on the security agencies to fish
out and bring to trial those responsible for the song. He did not give further
details of the song he was referring to.
His words: “It has come to my attention that a song
disparaging people of Igbo origin, and which wishes them dead, is circulating
in some parts of the nation. I totally and unequivocally condemn this
development, and I call on all men of goodwill to rise up against this evil,” Atiku
said.
“This song is reminiscent of the beginnings of the Rwanda
Genocide. Nigerians need to be aware 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. God forbid that we should
have such a déjà vu in Nigeria.
“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”.
“The effects of hate in any shape or form were made even
more evident over the weekend, in a mass shooting incident that left many of us
reeling with shock.
“I commiserate with the people of Ozubulu in Anambra State,
who lost family members in the fatal shooting that also left almost a score
injured. I pray 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,” he concluded
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