Groups reject Miyetti Allah’s request for vigilante in South East

More groups have joined the league rejecting the idea mooted by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, to set up a vigilante group in the South East, with some groups describing the request as very provocative.

Herdsmen

Igbo Ekunie Initiative, IEI, a coalition of professionals in Nigeria and the Diaspora, in their position described the demand of MACBAN as “reckless and provocative”.

A leading civil rights group in the South East, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, said it would not join issues with the Miyetti Allah but “we are holding the South East Governors, mostly that of Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi States responsible for hobnobbing with the terrorists group”.

The Igbo National Council, INC, in their own reaction out rightly rejected the request and asked the Igbo people to start preparing to defend themselves from any attack by armed herdsmen and warned that “enough is enough”. They also threatened to declare Miyetti Allah, persona non grata, should the group fail to apologize to Ndigbo over their statement in the next 48 hours.

The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), said the demand by MACBAN was “an insult of the highest order”, pointing out that allowing that would amount to committing “ an abomination in Igbo land”.

Also, Anambra State chapter of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, described the call as quite unacceptable and an insult on Ndigbo.

Igbo Ekunie Initiative specifically warned against the consequences of any attempt to export what they described as “infamously vicious and violent Fulani militia into any part of Igbo land”.

In a press statement  jointly signed by its president and secretary, Mazi Tochukwu Ezeoke and Lawrence Nwobu, respectively, Igbo Ekunie Initiative said the request was “absolutely uncalled for and worrisome especially when taken into perspective that States like Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo are among the most peaceful areas of the country.

“There is absolutely no threat in any form to the Fulani people living in the South-East nor to their business interests that should warrant the establishment of a Fulani defence corp.

“We maintain that we already have effective local vigilante services all over the South-East to augment the services of  the secular  security services and there is absolutely no need to pollute the already harmonious security relationship by adding the Fulani militia into the equation.

“One would have expected that the Miyetti Allah should devote its energy and resources to assisting in addressing the reckless and cruel bloodletting all over Northern Nigeria by the Fulani herdsmen whose genocide crimes of huge proportions have so far baffled and overwhelmed the entire security apparatchiks in Nigeria”.

The Human Rights Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation, HURIJE, said it is quite unfortunate that the federal government disarmed local vigilante outfits in the South East and allowed the Fulani herdsmen to carry AK 47 about freely.

“Government should disarm Fulani herdsmen now  because arming them in the South East in the name of establishment of vigilante will give them license to penetrate South East and kill more people, since the hands of our security personnel are tied”.

Intersociety’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said with the exit of Rochas Okorocha of Imo state as the grand supporter of Miyetti Allah and his replacement with Governor Emeka Ihedioha who is still relatively new, Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Willie Obiano of Anambra and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi “should be held responsible for all the atrocities Miyetti Allah had committed in South East so far, with the exception of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu who according to their investigation, is not working together with the Miyetti Allah”.