Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council (OYC) has described as unfounded and unacceptable the statement by the president of Miyetti Allah, Abdullahi Bodejo, that South East governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo are engaged in a sinister plot to divide Nigeria by banning inter-state conveyance of cattle by foot.
OYC national president, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, stated in Abakaliki at the weekend that the ban was irreversible, ranking Fulani among the few minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, irrespective of their dominance over some ethnic groups in the North.
The statement reads, “Our attention is drawn to the vituperations and misguided comments of one Abdullahi Bodejo, the president of Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore, over his wild but bogus claims, that Fulani is the largest ethnic group.
“We wish to categorically state that Fulani is one of the few minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, irrespective of their dominance over some ethnic groups in the North, and it’s on record that the Igbo are found in all the clans across 774 councils of Nigeria.”
He added that South East governors and Ohanaeze would never bring policies that would divide Nigeria. “But the 1,700 forests guards in Enugu had panicked Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore leadership, and the nefarious activities of the murderous herdsmen have been put on check.”
However, managing partner of Adulbert Legal Services, Aloy Ejimakor, has faulted the recent expanded security meeting of South East governors and declared it unconstitutional. Ejimakor stated at the weekend that after perusing the attendance, he observed that no single Igbo security personality was in attendance. In his view, the meeting had an interesting posse of non-Igbo security chiefs in attendance.
He listed the meeting attendants as Maj-Gen. Abubakar Maikobi (GOC, 82 Division), Air Vice-Marshall Idi Amin (Air Officer Commanding), Yusuf Ishaku (Director, DSS Anambra), Baba Tijani (AIG, Zone 9, Umuahia), Awosola Awotinde (CP, Ebonyi State), Ahmadu Abdulrahman (CP, Enugu State), and Rabiu Ladodo (CP, Imo State).
“This is unconstitutional. Why should this be when South East is a bona fide part of this country that is still a federation? It’s also wrong, ungodly and dangerous. How can you secure a people without their participation? When you do that, it runs the grave risk of being perceived as a belligerent occupation, or worse a benign conquest. It breeds popular distrust, which is antithetical to security,” he added.
Ejimakor tasked senators and representatives to sponsor resolutions against the development and speakers of South East Houses of Assembly to pass unanimous resolutions conveying collective legislative outrage that would carry moral and political force.
