From Chidi Nnadi and Petrus Obi, Enugu

SOUTH-EAST governors and other stakeholders in the geo-political zone met in Enugu yesterday and said they have started to take stocks of the attack on Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government of Enugu State by suspected Fulani herds­men and the losses suffered by the people.

Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, told journalists after their meet­ing that Governors Rochas Okorocho of Imo State and Willie Obiano of Anambra State could not join their col­leagues from Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Dave Umahi, Ebonyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia in yesterday’s meeting because the invitation was extended to them very late.

He promised that they would attend the next meet­ing and would be in Nimbo with the other governors and stakeholders.

Daily Sun gathered that the stock taking was to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the Fulani herds­men attack on Nimbo, as well as determine those who played various roles in it. After the stock taking, the Igbo leaders will decide the next line of action.

Ekweremadu who also led other members of the National Assembly to Nimbo yesterday and announced a donation of N2 million de­scribed the damage done to the community as devastat­ing.

“This will bring an end to what herdsmen are doing in Nigeria; we shall do our best to ensure that it doesn’t hap­pen again, whether here or elsewhere,” he said.

Last Monday, suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded the Enugu community and left in their trail, destruc­tion, blood and deaths. The attack attracted widespread condemnations and a visit by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Ararse, who promised to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.

Meanwhile, Apex Mus­lim body in the country, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), called for a thorough inves­tigation into the recurring attacks, incessant killings and maiming of innocent lives and the destruction of public and private properties, par­ticularly the brutal murders of people in Agatu, Benue State, Nimbo, Enugu State and some parts of Nasarawa State.

This is even as it tacitly ab­solved the Fulani herdsmen of any complicity in the spate of deadly attacks saying that it was absord and unfortunate to do so.

The statement of JNI, a coalition of several Islamic groups led by the Sultan of Sokoto was signed by its secretary-general, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu.

JNI position tallies with that of the 19 Northern governors that Hausa/Fulani herdsmen were not killers and criminals.

This is even as the Ohaneze Ndigbo warned that it would not hesitate to deploy ethnic militia groups to protect its environment ex­cept the Federal Government acts fast in checkmating the menace of the herdsmen.

JNI described the attacks as criminal and called for a thorough investigation by ap­propriate agencies to fish out the evil perpetrators, bring them to justice and forestall re-occurrence.

“The repeated heinous acts of attacks are crimes against the citizenry and the perpetrators are therefore criminals and must be treated so. It is indeed absurd and most unfortunate that certain groups or people ascribe the incidence on ethnic and/ or religious premise and to whimsically apportion blame in order to batter the gradual restoration of peace and security in Nigeria. Well, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State has debunked the rumours, likewise the Inspector General of Police has also debunked the insinuations over those being blamed,” JNI said.

According to the state­ment, “We must thus be cautious of packaging crimes on religious and ethnic gar­ments. Crimes are abomi­nable and whoever commits them is criminal. Security agencies should brace up in being proactive and utilize maximally intelligence reports in order to nip in the bud possible eruptions of security problems within and around communities.

“It is indeed alarming that within few weeks, deadly attacks were reportedly unleashed while the perpe­trators go un-arrested. JNI therefore condemns in strong terms these repeated heinous attacks and once again calls on the relevant security agen­cies to brace up to the trends, in order to put a stop to this ugly tide, as human lives are sacred and must be seen to be treated as so.

“JNI and indeed all Nigerians, view the fall out of these repeated attacks, particularly the taking up of arms against other citizens as another trend of insecurity that portends grave danger to the Nation. We must not forget so soon the adverse effect of the so-called Boko Haram group, that claimed the lives of many thousands innocent lives. Hundreds have been abducted, the males forced into insurgency and the females into slavery. Millions more are wallow­ing in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Ni­geria and in Refugee Camps in neighbouring countries. Public and private properties worth trillions of Naira were destroyed.”

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo yester­day rose from its meeting in Enugu and warned that it will not condone any further attack on any Igbo community. It also rejected the grazing bill now before the National Assembly insisting that cattle rearing was a private business and therefore should not be used to infringe on the rights of individuals and communi­ties in the country.

Reading the communiqué of the Imeobi meeting held at the Ohanaeze secretariat and attended by over 50 Igbo unions and associa­tions in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, Prof. Paul Muo­dum said Ohanaeze was dis­pleased with the perceived security neglect that led to the massacre of innocent lives and property at Ukpabi Nimbo, Uzouwani council of Enugu state.

“Ohanaeze unequivocally condemns the reckless and callous attack by Fulani herdsmen on our defense­less brothers and sisters in Nimbo, Uzouwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

“Imeobi expresses disap­pointment at the obvious security lapses which allowed the hideous act to be committed in Nimbo land in Enugu State and therefore calls on Enugu State and Federal Govern­ment of Nigeria to ensure that a thorough investiga­tion is carried out with a view toensuring that those responsible for the lapses are meant to account for the lapses and their actions.

“Imeobi Ohanaeze asks the leadership of the country to ensure that such incident in Nimbo do not reoccur anywhere in the southeast state and indeed in the whole country.”