Pan-Yoruba group Afenifere and Igbo socio-cultural body Ohanaeze Ndigbo have rejected claims by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) alleging rising hostility against northerners in the South, especially the South-East.
The ACF had raised concerns about alleged attacks and discrimination, warning they could threaten national unity.
Ohanaeze described the allegations as “baseless,” asserting that northerners in the South-East enjoy peaceful coexistence, own property, and run businesses freely.
Afenifere also dismissed the claims as “misleading,” arguing that federal policies have historically favoured the North and reiterated its call for restructuring as a path to national balance.
Both groups challenged the ACF to focus on internal issues within the North, such as violence in Benue and Southern Kaduna, rather than making what they called politically motivated accusations.
They insisted that no group should generalise or stoke ethnic tension under the guise of national discourse.