Buhari, Ugwuanyi meet on Enugu killings

President orders arrest of perpetrators

Gov summons emergency

We won’t retaliate herdsmen’s invasion –IPOB

President Muhammad Buhari last night held a meeting with Gover­nor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State over last Monday’s killings of residents of Ukpabi Nimbo by Fulani herdsmen.

Although the police put the death toll from the herdsmen’s invasion of the community at six, residents said that they lost up to 40 of their members.

Before the meeting was fixed, The AUTHORITY learnt that Governor Ugwuanyi had placed a telephone call to Presi­dent Buhari on the incident but was put on hold.

Four hours later, the Presi­dent, through an aide, told the governor that he would imme­diately do something about it.

 

 A disturbed Ugwuanyi was said to have made the call when he learnt that the police had not arrived at Uzouwani, which made him call the General Officer Com­manding (GOC) 82 Division for help.

When Buhari eventually re­sponded, he declared that his pri­ority is to end the herdsmen’s at­tacks on farming communities across the country.

Before his comment, the Pres­ident had been criticised over his silence on the herdsmen’s attacks which took a worrisome dimen­sion last Monday when suspected armed cattle rearers killed scores of residents of Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State.

Before then, the herders had also recently mowed down com­munities and killed several people in Agatu villages in Benue State.

In a press statement issued in Abuja, the Senior Special Assis­tant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba She­hu, explained that the President had scheduled a meeting for last night with Governor Ugwuanyi over the incident in his state.

The statement said the Pres­ident had directed top security chiefs to take all necessary actions to stop the carnage perpetrated by the herders.

It reads: “Following continu­ing reports of attacks by ‘herds­men’ on communities across the country, particularly Monday’s attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enu­gu State, President Muhammadu Buhari assures all Nigerians, once again, of his administration’s con­tinued commitment to ensuring the safety of life and property in all parts of the country.

“President Buhari unreserv­edly condemns the attack on Uk­pabi Nimbo and other such acts of extreme violence against com­munities in other states of the fed­eration.

“Acting on the President’s di­rective, the Inspector-General of Police and heads of the nation’s other security agencies are al­ready taking urgent steps to ful­ly investigate the attacks, appre­hend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

“Ending the recent upsurge of attacks on communities by herds­men reportedly armed with so­phisticated weapons is now a priority on the Buhari adminis­tration’s agenda for enhanced na­tional security; and the Armed Forces and the Police have clear instructions to take all necessary actions to stop the carnage.

“In keeping with the Presi­dent’s directive, the Inspector-General of Police, the General Officer Commanding the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army and the Director of the Depart­ment of State Security in Enugu State have visited Ukpabi Nimbo to personally oversee investiga­tions into the attack on the com­munity and ongoing efforts to ap­prehend the culprits.”

Similarly, a meeting of the Ni­geria Governors’ Forum (NGF) was also scheduled in Abuja on Wednesday and the herdsmen’s threat was expected to be one of the main issues for deliberation.

Also, at the public presenta­tion of a book: “Who Will Love My Country?”, written by the Deputy Senate President, Sena­tor Ike Ekweremadu, Buhari or­dered the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olanishak­in and IGP Arase to declare a full-scale war on the attackers.

The President specifically di­rected the Service Chiefs to arrest the attackers and beef up security in and around the affected states to prevent further reprisal attacks.

Represented at the well-at­tended event by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Moham­med, President Buhari declared that the government would no longer allow such attacks to con­tinue in any part of the country.

He said: “Let me start by con­demning in the strongest terms the attacks by herdsmen on Mon­day. I deeply sympathise with those who lost their lives as well as their property. I have directed the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police to se­cure all communities under attack by herdsmen and go after those terrorising innocent people all over the country.”

President Buhari further urged Nigerians to love one an­other, adding that “the change which we so much desire starts with them.”

The Chairman of the occasion and former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, expressed the hope that insurgency and what he called “Fulani herdsmen’s nui­sance and harassment” will soon be conquered.

The former Head of State de­clared that “with the help of God and cooperation of all citizens and firm action of our security forces and leadership, we shall conquer.”

Gen. Gowon, who recalled his civil war experience, said Nigeria is stronger together and that the future remains very bright “if we continue to move ahead togeth­er as one.”

He commended Senator Ekw­eremadu for taking the initiative.

Meanwhile, Governor Ug­wuanyi has summoned an emer­gency security meeting with tra­ditional rulers, presidents-general of town unions and leaders of the Neighbourhood Watch in all the communities in the state.

A senior government official disclosed to The AUTHORITY that the meeting, which is part of a series of actions plans to find a lasting solution to the menace of the Fulani herdsmen, will hold on Monday, May 2, 2016 at the old Governor’s Lodge, Enugu, at 1pm.

He said that the governor is determined to end the inhuman acts of the herdsmen which have consumed the lives and proper­ty of innocent people of the state.

Igbo monarchs blast S’East govs over docility

In a reaction to the Enugu in­cident, traditional rulers in the South East have accused gover­nors from the zone of inaction over the atrocities of the Fulani herdsmen.

The Chairman of South East Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Eze Eberechi Dick, who addressed a press conference in Umuahia, Abia State over the invasion of Uzo-Uwani community in Enugu State, expressed shock at the inac­tion of the governors and political leaders from the region.

He said: “Let them stand up now and speak up; let the mass­es hear their voices. This matter has gone out of hand and the com­munities can’t do anything with­out the governors.”

We’ll not retaliate killings, says IPOB

Amid the growing indigna­tion against the herdsmen’s kill­ings, the Indigenous Peoples of Bi­afra (IPOB) on Wednesday said it would not retaliate or encourage the retaliation of the cold-blooded murder of Nimbo people because it is not in its character to unleash violence on people.

IPOB, in a statement signed by its Media and Publicity Offic­er, Mr. Emma Powerful, said that it has concluded its action on the killing in Nimbo by informing the world that its members will not retaliate.

Powerful said: “It is neither in our character, nor will we play into the hands of blood thirsty dictators who send their kins­men on rampage as forerunners to their evil agenda to subjugate our people. We remain peace-loving, focused and a well-disciplined mass movement totally commit­ted to freedom.”

The Authority News