The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, OYC, has reacted angrily over the Federal Government’s stand on the recent ban of open grazing by the Southern Nigeria governors.
OYC said that the governors had during their meeting in Asaba Delta State slammed a ban on open grazing of cattle. The decision was in reaction to various criminal activities reportedly being committed by herdsmen.
But the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami said on Wednesday night that the governors had no such powers.
He went ahead to say the ban was similar to the Northern governors waking up to ban sale of motor spare parts in that part of the country.
Reacting in a statement on Thursday morning, the OYC said it was now clear that marauding killer herdsmen had all along been drawing their strength from the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government authorities.
President-General of OYC, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said it was “a show of shame, a senior lawyer could wake up and draw such weird comparisons.”
He said the AGF left no one in doubt that the killer herdsmen were being propelled by the Federal Government.
“We are in deep shock over the statement made by the Attorney General of the Federation on open TV. It is so sad that such a posturing could come from the chief law officer of the land.
“To say the least, we are more disappointed because this came from a senior lawyer, a supposed senior lawyer and SAN who should know better. How on earth can Malami compare herdsmen killing, raping momen and forcefully taking over people’s ancestral land to spare parts dealers.
“His ethnic driven stand no doubt shows that the Federal Government has all along been the one giving impetus to killer herdsmen. May we ask him, “the spare parts dealers in the North, are they not paying for their shops? Are they not contributing to the revenue of their host states? Do they enter into Northern States and occupy territories, including their residential apartments by force? Do they go along rape and kill their hosts? Does freedom of movement entail movement of cattle to destroy people’s farms and throw societies into acute hunger?
“May we also ask him: Where was freedom of religion when Northern governors banned sale of alcohol and have been destroying people’s wares with reckless abandon?
“His childish and ethnic induced comparison clearly exposed his hatred for the Igbos who are known to be the major spare parts dealers in the North. This should not be taken for granted. We have lost total confidence in him as the AGF.
“Indeed Nigerians and the international community now know those who have been supporting the activities of killer herdsmen and we are alerting the international community to mount close surveillance on him, he should be put on watchlist; this should not be taken for granted.”
The OYC told the Southern governors “not to waiver their stand as you have the full backing of the people. You should not be intimidated but go ahead to fully implement that ban. We have had enough suppression in the hands of people like Malami. Enough is enough, it is time for Southern Nigeria to walk to their talk.”