Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
The Ohanaeze Youths group has said that the killing of four persons and destruction of property valued at millions of naira by herdsmen in Enyanwu Igwe village in Igbeagu community, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was an act of war on Igboland.
They, therefore, called on the federal government to look for an avenue of taming the herdsmen, otherwise they would be matched fire for fire.
Recalling that herdsmen had invaded many Igbo communities/states and were treated with kids gloves by the federal government, they stated that the recent attack on Enyanwu Igwe village, where herders killed four persons and destroyed economic trees and other properties worth millions of naira and as well sent communities packing would not go unnoticed by Igbo youths.
In a press release signed by the national president of Ohanaeze Youth Council, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, national secretary, Okwu Nnabuike, and the PRO, Engr. Obinna Adibe,
they explained that they denounce the dastardly activities of herdsmen that receive government’s protective coverage, which allows the Fulani herders moving across the length and breadth of Nigeria with firearms, killing people at the slightest chance.
“We cannot toil to feed ourselves before a rich but self-turned chronic beggar and debtor nation that seems to have forgotten its duties to citizens only to have herdsmen invade our farmlands grazing on our crops and in turn killing us for raising our voice against their archaic cow-rearing methods.
“We regret to say that the federal government has adopted double standards in the handling of the herdsmen’s terrorism and Igbos’ non-violent youth agitating for the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra, while allowing the Fulanis to kill people opposed to having cows passing and grazing on their farmlands and kill communities protesting against such. Yet, the federal government is turning around, treating the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) that has not fired a shot nor slapped anybody as a terrorist group.
“We hereby issue a stern warning to the federal government to curtail the nefarious activities of the fundamentalist Fulani herdsmen and disarm them than giving them protective coverage while they destroy lives and farmlands or we engage them fire-for-fire in all parts of Igboland.
“We hereby use this medium to ban open cow grazing and rearing activities and anyone seen doing so should be made to understand that where his economic rights stop, there begins that of another.
“We tell Igbo youths to form rings to guard and protect their communities and farmlands and deal decisively with anybody destroying their farmlands through cow grazing and or bearing arms that is not a known licensed security person to save selves before a nation that can no longer defend the Igbos and citizens’ humanity.”
“By so doing, we warn that nobody has a monopoly of violence and Igbo nation will surely defend itself before any war made on their humanity and economic interests. Enough is enough; we tell whoever listens or cares. Any armed herdsmen sighted anywhere in south east will have himself to blame. Arise and defend Igbo land through well recognized vigilante groups”, the youths advised.