Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday raised the alarm over what it described as acts of provocation allegedly being perpetrated by armed herdsmen to cause disaffection and derail the peace in parts of Igboland.
The group, in an open letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Adamu Mohammed yesterday, claimed that the way the gun-wielding nomads “are being treated gives credence to the fears being harboured by the people that even the security men laying siege on Igboland are here to protect the interest of an ethnic group.”
Ohanaeze, in the correspondence signed by its President General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, warned that Igbo would not fold their arms and allow “gun-totting marauding Fulani herdsmen to continue harassing, raping, maiming and killing the people in Igboland.”
It added: “Not only have Ndigbo been marginalised in this country, they are even being pushed to the brink.”Titled “The road to anarchy”, the memo read: “It is with a heart full of trepidation and responsibility that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide brings to your notice a potentially explosive situation in Anambra State of Nigeria.
“The people of Umuawulu community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State saw four Fulani boys with six Ak-47 rifles slung on their shoulders and riding two motorcycles and trailed them to Isiagu Ccmmunity also in Awka South LGA where they reside.
When the news of the brazen wielding of firearms spread across the council area, as law-abiding citizens, the stakeholders there convened a crucial meeting with the police and Fulani leaders in the state and raised the matter for deliberation.
“The stakeholders told the Fulani leaders in the presence of men of the State Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (SIIB), Awka that they were alarmed and surprised that their boys were flagrantly displaying arms in the public, unmindful of the legal implications of unlawful possession of firearms. The stakeholders expressed disappointment that security agencies did not make any attempt to arrest the offending Fulani boys.”
Guardian
