MASSOB orders herdsmen out of Enugu community

The Movement for Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) on Tuesday issued a 48 –hour ultimatum to herdsmen to quit the Ogboli-Ohaja community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu state, saying they would not be held responsible for whatever occurs following their failure to heed the warning.

The ultimatum followed an alleged attack on Monday evening on a young man, Kenneth Ude, while he was working on his farm by some herders.

Ude was said to be working on his cassava farm near his residence when some herders stormed the place and allegedly started pulling the cassava and feeding their cows.

An attempt to stop the herders from destroying his farmland was said to have resulted in various machete cuts.

His attackers were said to have taken to their heels thinking he was dead. He was however, rescued and rushed to the Jideofor Medical Hospital in Awgu, where he is recuperating.

The development was said to have fuelled tension in the area on Monday night as of the community combed the bushes in search of the fleeing herdsmen.

Deputy National Leader of MASSOB, Chief Ikechukwu Ekwe, told reporters that they would no longer tolerate the killing of innocent people by herdsmen on their farms in the area.

He said his group has mobilized to fish out any herder who may not heed the 48- hour ultimatum, adding that “enough is enough. We will no longer fold our hands and watch these people decimate us. We will fish them out wherever they may be in this community after 48 hours and handle them our own way.

“No more will we allow our people to be subjected to this level of maltreatment in their own soil. I do not think it is a crime for one to go to his farm.”

Ekwe stated that farmlands have been destroyed in the area by herders in the cause of their business, stressing that attempts to get authorities to address the situation have proven abortive.

Contacted however, the Enugu state Police Public Relations Officer, David Ndukwe, said he was yet to be briefed on the development, stating that he would make inquiries to know what led to the ultimatum.