The Federal Government has been asked to prevent possible revenge killings following the ethnic crisis in Ile-Ife, Osun State, which led to deaths and destruction of properties.
In a statement on Monday, the Journalists for Democratic Rights urged the Federal Government and the Osun State authorities to beware of a crafted hate video being circulated on the internet urging the Hausa-Fulani ethnic group to carry out reprisal attacks.
The foremost media group said renewed hostility and another circle of violence will be prevented if the relevant authorities can move quickly to nip the inciting video in the bud.
JODER said: “We are alerting the Federal Government, the Police, the government and the people of Osun State to immediately douse the thick atmosphere of suspicion and hate being fuelled by the web circulation of a video calling for revenge killings.”
The group said the video has a collection of gory pictures of killed and maimed individuals following the crisis that erupted at Ife on March 7, during which people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds were killed.
Though the video claimed those killed were of Northern extraction, but there is no proof beyond the fact that the riot led to the unfortunate deaths of people of diverse ethnic and religious calling.
The video clip is filled with vengeance and rabid appeal to base instinct capable of setting in motion a chain of killings and mayhem if not promptly arrested, JODER said.
Wale Adeoye, who signed the statement on Monday on behalf of JODER, said: “The attention of the Journalists for Democratic Rights, (JODER) was drawn into this video by some youth leaders in the Northern part of the county who have been working with JODER on peace building. We have seen the video which has a voice over in Hausa, laced with mind-boggling pictures of those allegedly killed during the recent Ife crisis.”
Adeoye said his group had already sent representatives to Ile-Ife, adding that after consultations with disputants, there was genuine desire for peace, but that the new video being circulated is capable of stirring a new cycle of violence and blood-letting.
He said: “There is the probability that some people want to feast on a communal feud which they intend to turn into a catastrophy. This video will fuel fresh emotion and possible reprisal killings either at Ile-Ife or in any other parts of the country. It is uncertain who the author(s) of the video is or are. The video might actually be the creation of a third party, desperate to lock horns for parochial interests.
“The video incites people based on religion and ethnicity, with a veiled call for revenge. The video attempts to portray one of the parties as the aggressors with a conscious plot to portray all the victims of the attacks as coming from one ethnic stock. This obviously is the handiwork of mischievous people who feed on hate and incitement.”
Adeoye called on the Federal and Osun State Governments, the police and other security operatives to investigate the source of the video and the ensure damage done is reversed before it is too late.
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