Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Government has said that it has neither established Ruga nor had planns to establish one in any part of the state.
It said that the report trending in the social media about the establishment of the controversial settlement camp for Fulani herdsmen in a village in Izzi area of the state was mischievous and false.
The position of the government was contained in a statement issued, yesterday, by the Commissioner for Information and Social Orientation, Uchenna Orji.
The statement partly read: “The attention of Ebonyi State Government has been drawn to online circulations by a group of frustrated elements whose objective is to paint the Governmemt black by selling dummy to unsuspecting members of the public.
“Their posts on the 12/10/2019 gave false impressions that herders in their numbers arrived with their families to a particular village in Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State to settle, and that Ebonyi State Government has established a RUGA settlement for herdsmen.Our reaction has become necessary in view of the sensitivity of the matter to the collective peace and coexistence of our people.
“The State Government states in clear terms that the narratives of these online propagandists are nothing but the figment of the imagination of the mischief makers.
“Their online circulation are totally unfounded, absolutely irresponsible, without foundation and criminally woven to paint Ebonyi State government black before its citizenry.
“Contrary to the spiritless fabrication of these political jobbers, what happened on 12/10/2019 was the normal movement of cattle rearers who were on transit from their temporary camp at the Centenary City Abakaliki to a neighbouring state, where they have found more conducive for their Cattle’s livelihood.
“These herdsmen once camped in a government reserved area at the Centenary City, Abakaliki but when government started to develop the place for government use as agreed, the herdsmen on their volition decided to look for greener pasture elsewhere in a neighbouring state.