Ohanaeze petitionsgovt over herdsmen alleged crimes

APEX Igbo socio–cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo said on  Saturday that it has  petitioned the Federal Government alleging increase in crimes and criminalities  in the south east zone by the activities of Fulani herdsmen.

Ohanaeze  Ndigbo said it was worried by the increase in the activities of the herdsmen, which have resulted to the destruction of farmlands, robberies as well as killing of natives in the various communities, where their activities were challenged.

Disclosing this in an interview with The Guardian, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo Igariwey, described the invasion of the zone by Fulani herdsmen as another form of ‘terrorism’, explaining that it was worrisome that farm crops and security of property of the people were no longer guaranteed following the activities of the group.

He said: “We decided to petition the Federal Government over this development because, it is no longer something that we should sit down and watch, while our people are killed and have their crops in the farms destroyed by these herdsmen using their cows. I was in my community the other day, when a report came that two natives have been killed by the herdsmen as a result of disagreement that arose over their activities. Here in the southeast, we don’t have enough landmass, but it is sad that what is available is being occupied by these herdsmen. We believe there should be order in doing things, we cannot keep quite while they molest our people and destroy our farmlands and that is why we want government to intervene in the matter”.

He said that Ohanaeze had before now made strong case to security agencies on the menace of the herdsmen, stressing that it would be in the interest of peace to put these herdsmen to check.