Dear Arewa Youth: Before Reacting to Rivers Anti-Aboki Protests, Know That Rivers People Are Not Igbo
15 February, 2026
by Mohammed Bello Doka
Many young people across the North have seen disturbing videos and messages about so-called “anti-Aboki” protests in Rivers State. The anger is real. The fear is understandable. Reports of a northern man killed and attacks on traders naturally provoke strong emotions.
But before anyone reacts, it is important to understand the facts clearly and calmly — because reacting wrongly will only hurt innocent people and damage the North itself.
First, what happened in Rivers State was a local community crisis in Ikwerre land, near Port Harcourt. The trigger was the killing of an Ikwerre youth leader, Festus Nchelem Samuel, allegedly by suspected Fulani herders or northern motorcycle riders. His community protested. Roads were blocked. Some youths attacked northern-owned shops. Security forces intervened.
This was serious and condemnable. No Nigerian should be attacked because of ethnicity or origin.
But here is the critical fact many people in the North are missing:
Rivers people are not Igbo.
Rivers State is not an Igbo state. It belongs to the South-South region of Nigeria, not the South-East. The main indigenous groups in Rivers are Ikwerre, Ijaw, Ogoni, Etche, Ogba, Ekpeye, Eleme and others. These are Niger Delta ethnic groups with their own identities.
Yes, some Rivers groups speak languages related to Igbo. That does not make them Igbo. Cultural similarity is not ethnic identity. Many Ikwerre leaders themselves reject being called Igbo. Politically and historically, Rivers is different from the South-East.
So the Igwuruta protest was an Ikwerre community protest in Rivers State — not an Igbo protest, not a South-East protest, and not a coordinated anti-Northern campaign.
Why does this distinction matter?
Because in moments like this, confusion leads to wrong targets. When some people hear “Southern protest,” they assume “Igbo.” And when anger rises, the easiest victims become Igbo traders and residents living peacefully in Northern cities — people who had nothing to do with events in Rivers.
That would be unjust. It would also be dangerous.
Most Igbos in Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Katsina and other Northern states are traders, artisans and families trying to survive like everyone else. They did not protest in Rivers. They did not kill anyone. They are not responsible for the actions of Ikwerre youths hundreds of kilometers away.
Punishing them would be collective punishment — and collective punishment is injustice.
More importantly, violence will not save anything. Violence never solves ethnic tension in Nigeria. It only creates cycles of revenge. One attack leads to another. Innocent people die on both sides. Businesses collapse. Communities become divided. The country becomes weaker.
The North must not allow itself to be dragged into that trap.
There is also another reality Arewa youth must think about carefully: whenever violence happens in the North against non-indigenes, it quickly becomes national and international news. It is used to label Northerners as intolerant, impatient or hostile to other Nigerians. It damages the reputation of millions of peaceful Northern citizens.
Those who provoke ethnic tension often want exactly that outcome — a reaction that can be used to portray the North negatively.
The strongest response to provocation is not rage. It is discipline.
Arewa has always stood for dignity, restraint and justice. Northern leaders, emirs, scholars and elders have repeatedly preached patience and peaceful coexistence. That tradition must not be abandoned because of anger created by events elsewhere.
If Northerners are concerned about crimes committed by herders or migrants anywhere in Nigeria, there are lawful ways to demand justice:
peaceful protest, petitions to authorities, court action, advocacy and dialogue. These are constitutional rights. They bring accountability without harming innocent people.
Violence against traders or communities in the North, however, is a crime. It destroys lives, invites retaliation against Northerners living in the South, and weakens national unity. Nobody benefits except those who profit from division.
It is also important to remember that many Northerners live and do business safely in Southern states, including Rivers. Their safety depends on mutual restraint across regions. If one side abandons calm, the other side eventually suffers too.
Nigeria is too interconnected for ethnic revenge to work. Every region depends on another. Every community hosts another. Every conflict spreads beyond its origin.
The Rivers protest was wrong where it targeted innocent northerners. But copying that wrong in the North will not correct it. It will multiply it.
Arewa youth must therefore stand firmly against provocation. Anger must not be allowed to become violence. Facts must guide action. Justice must be directed at criminals — not at entire ethnic groups wrongly blamed.
The truth is simple:
Rivers people are not Igbo.
The Rivers protest was not an Igbo protest.
Igbo traders in the North are not responsible.
Targeting them would be misdirected and unjust.
The North is strongest when it is calm, principled and fair. That strength has protected its reputation and unity for generations. It must continue now.
Before reacting, know the facts.
Before anger, choose restraint.
Before action, choose justice.
That is the Arewa way.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via bellodoka82@gmail.com
Abuja Network News
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