Group threatens to declare Bendel Republic

A group under the aegis of Midwest Movement comprising Edo and Delta states, has said it will declare Bendel Republic if the Federal Government does not address the ethnic agitations across the country.

Addressing journalists in Benin yesterday, the convener of the movement, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, said the solution to the agitations was restructuring of the country.

He said nonetheless that the movement could no longer hope that the negative passions of ethnic jingoists would readily blow away, and insisting on his movement’s idea of a separate identity, he said, “We are Midwest Region and we condemn attempt by some ethnic groups trying to include us in their agitation. We will resist any attempt by ethnic jingoists to annex, attach or conscript the Midwest territory as part of their territory.”

Obaseki called on the Federal Government to broaden its consultation and engagement with stakeholders of all ethnic nationalities, including the Midwest, to achieve a restructuring of the country.

“If the federation of Nigeria fails to hold due to government’s inability to play her constitutional role and because of the reckless action of ethnic jingoists, the Midwest territorial areas comprising twelve tribes shall stand alone as Bendel Republic,” he said, contending that the current state of uncertainty arose from years of injustice and marginalization allowed or even perpetuated by succeeding national leaders.