Angered by the alleged threat to the life of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, by those it called Fulani Jihadists, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), has warned that no one should dare them.

COSEYL, an umbrella body of all youth groups in the South East reminded those that are behind the threat that no one in the country has the monopoly of violence.

In a statement, yesterday, the President General of COSEYL, Goodluck Ibem, said that the plan to assassinate Obi was revealed to them by some kidnap victims.

The statement read in part, “The attention of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), the umbrella body of all the youth groups in the South-East geopolitical zone has been drawn to an evil plot by Fulani Jihadists, as made known by them to some people that they kidnapped, that they plan to assassinate Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), for daring to make himself available to contest for the Office of the President of Nigeria, which is his constitutional right as a bonafide citizen of Nigeria.

“These criminal elements killing and kidnapping innocent people in the name of a jihad, or whatever they call it, should know that the time a strong man was born in their town, another strong man was also born in another town. Nobody should think that he has a monopoly on violence. That we are peaceful does not mean that we are weak, or senseless,” the statement said.

It added: “Mr. Peter Obi as a bonafide citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was born in Nigeria, has the constitutional right to contest for any political office that he deems fit, and nobody can stop that.

“Obi is a successful man in all sense of the word, … he agreed to contest for the office of the president of Nigeria not because he needs anything from the said office, but he made himself available because of the call on him by Nigerians who want to salvage our dear nation from collapse, both economically, educationally, and security-wise.

“Anyone that thinks that he wants to attack such a peaceful and fulfilled man is sick and his sickness will be treated appropriately at the right time,” COSEYL stated, adding that “only a wicked person will be comfortable with the current state of the nation. Our country is in dire need of a drastic change that will turn things for good and some people are plotting to make matters worse because of their so-called conquest,” the coalition noted.

“These criminals are having a field day because the president of Nigeria and the security agencies are pampering them, and treating them with kid gloves,” it alleged while calling on “security agencies to move into action and arrest the real criminals that are plotting to assassinate Mr. Peter Obi just because he answered the call of Nigerians to contest for the office of the president, which he is eminently qualified to do.”