From Okey Sampson, Aba

AS nine natives of Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Gov­ernment Area of Enugu State massacred by Fu­lani herdsmen on April 25 were buried over the weekend, a pan Igbo socio-political group, As­sociation of South East Town Unions (ASETU) has demanded the Fed­eral Government bring perpetrators to justice.

This was even as the group said it is rejecting any plan by the federal government to establish grazing reserves any­where in the South East. ASETU said the people have little or no land for­farming.

The group, which made its feelings known in a communiqué issue after an expanded national executive council meet­ing in Aba, Abia State and signed by the Chair­man, Chief Emeka Diwe as well as presidents and secretaries of the five South East states Town Unions condemned the recent invasion of Nimbo community by people it described as “rampaging nomads,” and the grue­somely murder of the na­tives in their own land.

“As if invasion of com­munities in Igboland and destroying their crops were not enough, our people were killed in large numbers and their wives and daughters bra­zenly raped by the ram­paging Fulani herdsmen.

“Our concern is that despite the fact that the federal government di­rected security agencies to take decisive action against the rampaging herdsmen, nothing con­crete seems to have been done to check the excess­es of the warring herds­men as to forestall our people from being com­pelled to defend them­selves in their own way.”

ASETU urged the fed­eral government to has­ten the trial of suspected herdsmen that have been arrested.

The group commended Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for “his wisdom in handling the situation in the state with maturity” which, it said, averted reprisal at­tacks that could have led to national crises of un­imaginable dimensions and consequences

ASETU however said it was rejecting any propos­al by the Federal Govern­ment to establish grazing reserves anywhere in the South East.

“Cattle rearing is pri­vate business. Since this is so, it will be illogical for government to think­er with any legislation that we will surrender lands in the South East as grazing fields to herds­men; more so, when na­tives of the area have little land for farming.