By AbdulSalam Muhammad

KANO—  IndicationS emerged in Kano, yesterday, that talks between Northern youth groups and Igbo, over the quit notice to the latter have ended in deadlock.

The Northern youths groups last Friday met with Igbo Leaders of Thought from the 19 Northern states and raised a 10-man reconciliation committee to find a lasting solution to contentious issue of the quit notice.

The deadlock came barely 24 hours after Northern youth leaders renewed their quit notice to Igbo community to leave the Northern part of the country, come October 1.

Igbo must go cartoon

The tension soaked interface, which was convened by former Vice President of  Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Isah Tijjani, handed down 72 hours to the committee to submit it report.

This is even as  a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the production and circulation of an Hausa song, which seeks to disparage the Igbo and as well incite hate against them, saying Nigeria does not need to experience the Rwandan genocide.

Members of the committee were drawn from all sides. The five representatives of the Arewa Youths Coalition included Mr Abdullahi Toro, Dr Abba Bukar Kagu, Dr Yima Sen, Dauda S. Shamakeri and Alhaji Ado Mohammed.

Igbo leaders at the peace talk were Chief Chi Nwogu, Eze Ngozi Nwaine Oso, Chief Chris Nnoli, Igwe Ibekwe and Magnus Ihejirika.

The roundtable emergency conference of the Nigerian stakeholders had Northern Youths under the leadership of Shettima Yarima, while the Igbo leaders came under the leadership of Igwe Boniface Igbekwe, Eze Ndigbo Kano.

While Nigeria awaited the outcome, the reconciliation committee came up with a terse statement that it had “adjourned to reconvene August 17.”

According to the statement jointly signed by Chief Chikezie Nwogu, Dauda S Shamakeri, representatives of Igbo leaders, coalition of northern groups and the convener of the meeting, Comrade Isa Tijjani,  the “Committee sat and deliberated extensively and agreed that there is need for further consultation from both sides.”

But in a dramatic turn of events, the Coalition of Northern Groups, a principal partner in the reconciliation committee also issued a separate statement that countered the position of the peace committee, saying: “We expect to make a definite pronouncement at an international press conference in Abuja, Monday August 14, three days  to resumed further talks.”

The statement further enjoined citizens “to continue to live peacefully, keeping in mind that this struggle is primarily intellectual and non violent.”