The Igbo Women Assembly, IWA, has kicked against any plan to reserve
grazing lands or ranches for Fulani herdsmen in the South-east
geopolitical zone, stressing that doing so, would be a tacit approval to
the herdsmen to continue killing Igbo men and rape their wives and
daughters.
They said that the only one sensible route to the country’s development
was for Nigeria to be restructured now, adding that, “intimidation will
not work” as the people of the zone “cannot be islamised”.
The women, who spoke in reaction to the latest killing of farmers at
Nimbo in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State Monday, decried
the audacity the herdsmen have in killing innocent Nigerians since
President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office about 10 months ago.
IWA made its stand known in a statement signed by its National
President, Chief (Mrs) Marie Nwanyiwunwa Okwo, who also decried the
extra –judicial killing of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra,
IPOB, by security agents among other injustices meted out to the zone.
Okwo’s statement reads in part, “Not long ago, 76 people from Ugwuleshi
in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, were arrested by the
Nigerian Army and taken to Umuahia, which is another area of
jurisdiction.
“Their offence was that they tried to defend their farm land from being
destroyed by the Fulani herdsmen. It was through the intervention of the
Governor of Enugu State that those poor farmers were later released on
bail.
“The extra-judicial killing of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB,
members between November 2015 and February 2016, in Port Harcourt, Aba
and Onitsha is condemned by IWA.
“This unresolved, cold-blooded murder of Eastern youths, coupled with
the provocative brigandage of Fulani in recent times may have probably
emboldened the Director of State Services, DSS, to publicly lay a charge
of abduction and murder on the IPOB for effect.
“This accusation of killing and burying of five northerners (in a
shallow grave), if true, is wrong and IWA condemns it, and would want
the culprits brought to early justice.
“If, however, the accusation is false, then, it must be said as
succinctly as possible that the DSS has taken a very dangerous route
that will not only lay the foundation for eventual disintegration of
Nigeria but ensures that a needless bloodbath accompanies the mayhem.
The DSS intends to prop up mutual suspicion and spur ethnic hatred.
“Our message to the APC government is clear, short and precise. The
quest to intimidate, oppress and silence Eastern Nigeria will not
succeed. The dream of conquering our people through hatred and threat of
genocide will not work. We cannot be islamised. There is only one
sensible route open to Nigeria, which is to restructure the country now.
Intimidation will not work; neither will false accusations
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