Time to check Fulani herdsmen in South –East
It was a commonly celebrated story across the country, both the print, electronic and social media, about the killing of over 40 people in Enugu State by some Fulani herdsmen.
The heinous act took place at Nimbo,a town in Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area of the state.
About seven villages were affected and they are; Nimbo Ngwoko, Ugwuijoro, Ekwuru, Ebor, Enugu Nimbo, Umuome and Ugwuachara.
About 10 residential houses and churches, were burnt by the rampaging herdsmen just as vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed and domestic animals killed.
The unholy act took place almost 24 hours after story filtered that about 500 heavily armed Fulani herdsmen sneaked into the community to launch an attack.
There were reports that corpses littered the community after the attack.
In respond to this beastly act, the Governor of Imo state who also is the chairman, South-East Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha described the development as a national disaster.
According to him, Nigerians should not give it ethnic colouration.
In his own reaction, Secretary -General of Ohanaeze, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, said the action was a manifestation of failure of governance in the country.
“The continuous killing of people across the country by herdsmen without any response from the Federal Government was a failure of governance. The nation was sad and very disappointed that all over the country, not just the South-East, these killings by Fulani herdsmen have continued unabated”, he said.
He said the first act of governance is the protection of lives and property.
According to reports, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles, came in two buses at about 7.13a.m.
It is common today reading that Fulani herdsmen kidnap ,killed and maimed innocent Nigerians in their homes ,farms and on the roads with impunity .They attack and raze down villages and communities unchallenged, and yet we claimed to have security operatives.
The leadership of the National Assembly, (NASS), have also condemned and expressed concern over the frequent herdsmen/farmers’ clashes across the country, saying the development was capable of threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.
The overzealous Fulani men who have been terrorising the citizens are posing a national disaster than the Boko Haram. With due respect to Okorocha, every Igbo is seeing the attack as an extension dominance by the Hausa Fulani, which they must resist.
This madness must attract urgent federal government attention towards solving it before it gets out of control.
Boko Haram insurgency began this way and it was neglected until it degenerated into a holocaust ravaging the country today.
When Chief Olu Falae was kidnapped, Agatu village destroyed and it became apparent that herdsmen were moving around with AK 47 rifles, that marked the beginning of legitimising the murderous activities of Fulani cattle rearers across the country.
I do know whether anyone outside the security agencies is allowed to be in procession of arms, yet this herdsmen move freely with AK-47.
We must step up our security operative organisation, especially our intelligent gathering system and quick response mechanisms to act on issues of threat to life and property.
Unfortunately, in this part of the world the lives of human beings do not count for much. If the news of the impending attack on the community was heard earlier, what stopped the security agents taking pro active action to prevent this ungodly act. Rather, the police shamefacedly had the effrontery to tell Nigerians that only six persons were killed. Did it mean the lives of those six people are not important? . I am always worried when hear police or government officials describing the death of fellow Nigerians with the derogatory adjective ‘ONLY’
One would also want to know why it would take the federal government so many months to respond to the senseless killings across the country by the Fulani herdsmen?.
Is it now that the federal government was convinced or realised that the herdsmen are actually causing havoc in several parts of the country and threatening Nigeria’s unity? The federal government must stop this murderous killings in the South East by the Fulani herdsmen before it degenerate to a more dangerous conflagration that would consume more people beyond the the geopolitical zone.
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