The Amalgamation of Northern Traders in Cattle, Grains and Begetables has that its members would boycott South-Eastern markets in reaction to the ban placed on beef consumption by the Indigenous People Of Biafra in the region.
SaharaReporters had on January 3 reported that IPOB had banned the slaughtering and eating of cows from Fulani herders during occasions in the South-East region.
Reacting to the ban, the Northern traders said members were prepared to comply with the directive by discontinuing its sale of cattle, grains, onions and other foodstuffs in the region.
Chairman of Northern Traders, Muhammad Tahir, said members of the union were not perturbed by the IPOB ban.
He said, “For us, we would always support the indivisibility of Nigeria; but if IPOB wants to secede, then so be it.
“Bilateral trade between us and them is all about wealth creation for the two regions; the cattle we take to them is food and not poison.
“Therefore, if someone rejects your benevolent supply of food to their region, then you stop; because you must not feed them.
“After all, it is a mere unsustainable propaganda, which we’ve been hearing over the years.”
Tahir further asserted that IPOB lacked the capacity to sustain the ban as their people would soon revolt due to scarcity of beef and other foodstuffs which only the North can supply.
IPOB had earlier this week announced the ban on singing of Nigerian national anthem in schools and on eating beef during occasions in the region.
This is one of the seven action plans IPOB plans to implement in 2022.
Other plans include a demand for unconditional release of its members held by law enforcement agencies and mass demonstration in cities around the world.