Voice from the East gives Fulani herdsmen until August 31 to leave Igboland or be killed

PAN-Igbo pressure group Voice from the East (Veast) has given Fulani cattle herdsmen operating across the southeast geo-political zone and in Aniomaland and Ikwerreland in Delta and Rivers State up until August 31 to leave of face forceful eviction.

Over recent years, Nigeria has been wracked by communal violence as repeated clashes between herdsmen and local farmers has led to hundreds of deaths. Heavily-armed herdsmen have spread mayhem across rural Nigeria, attacking farming villages, leading to calls for government action but so far, very little has been done.

President Muhammadu Buhari, himself a Fulani cattle owner, has come under intense criticism for failing to address the matter because he is sympathetic to the herdsmen. Exasperated with the lack of government action, Veast has ordered all herdsmen to leave Igbo speaking areas in Rivers and Delta states, as well as the southeast or face its wrath.

Yesterday, Veast embarked on a peaceful protest in Enugu, warning that should the armed herdsmen fail to leave after the ultimatum, they would mobilise and comb forests and lands to send them packing. They said that they may even resort to killing the herdsmen should they become adamant and refuse to leave.

According to Veast, the quit notice was a result of the federal government’s inaction or tacit support for the herdsmen menace. Veast convener Comrade Kindness Jonah, said after their demonstration, that the government’s inability to check the killings necessitated the issuance of the quit notice.

He added: “We carried out the demonstration for the sole purpose of giving quit notice to Fulani herdsmen in Igboland, the five southeastern states as well as Anioma and Ikwerre land. The aberrant killings by Fulani herdsmen purposely unchecked by federal government and military instigated this quit notice.

“At Ezi Nze in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, Fulani herdsmen kidnapped several young men, demanding N2m compensation for purported killing of undisclosed number of cows, out of which N600,000 has been paid. Veast sees this as an affront of the highest order which can no longer be tolerated in Igboland."

According to Comrade Jonah, after August, 31, since nobody holds the monopoly of violence and for the mere fact that the Nigerian military and police are working secretly, openly with the herdsmen, they will take the laws into their hands. He added that Veast will galvanise young men from all Igboland to enter Igbo forests to kill and butcher any Fulani herdsmen found there.