By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the alleged arrest, ethnic profiling, and threatened deportation of some Northern women by operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, describing the action as unconstitutional and discriminatory.
In a statement issued by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, the Forum said it was disturbed by a viral video allegedly showing Amotekun operatives arresting, profiling, and publicly parading women identified as Hausa/Fulani residents engaged in lawful activities in Ondo State.
The ACF said if the incident was accurately represented, it amounted to a violation of the constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens and posed a threat to national unity.
It stressed that every Nigerian has the right to freedom of movement, residence, and lawful livelihood in any part of the country, regardless of ethnicity, religion, language, or place of origin.
“No agency of government, whether federal, state or local, possesses the legal authority to treat citizens as strangers in their own country simply because they belong to a particular ethnic group,” the statement said.
The Forum also faulted reported claims that the women were threatened with deportation, noting that no state government or security outfit has the constitutional power to deport citizens within Nigeria.
“Every Nigerian has an equal stake in every part of Nigeria and enjoys constitutionally protected rights wherever he or she chooses to live and work,” ACF stated.
While acknowledging security concerns in parts of the country, the Forum maintained that law enforcement must be based on intelligence and lawful investigation, rather than ethnic profiling or collective suspicion.
It warned that criminalising entire communities based on the actions of individuals was unjust and capable of heightening ethnic tension.
ACF further expressed concern that the affected individuals were women engaged in ordinary economic activities, describing the alleged public humiliation as unacceptable in a democratic society.
The Forum also noted that Nigerians from Ondo State and other South-West states live peacefully across the North, warning against actions that could disrupt national cohesion.
It called on the Ondo State Government to investigate the incident, clarify the circumstances, and sanction any officials found culpable.
ACF also urged the Federal Government, security agencies, and the National Human Rights Commission to intervene and ensure that the rights of the affected persons are protected.
The Forum said the incident raises renewed concerns about the proposed establishment of state police, warning that such systems must have strong safeguards against abuse.
“If a state-backed security outfit can engage in ethnic profiling and threaten unlawful deportation of fellow citizens, it underscores the urgent need for strong constitutional and institutional safeguards,” it said.
ACF reiterated that Nigeria belongs equally to all its citizens and that no Nigerian should be treated as a stranger in any part of the country.
