– Decries spate of herdsmen killings in Imo State
By Dorcas Samson Achi
The Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU) led by Chief Emeka Diwe, has decried the worrisome security situation by the invasion of the Northerners to south Eastern states, hence requested Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma to allow the passage of the “Anti Open Grazing Bill”. This, the Association proposes to become the number one priority of the Hope Uzodinma’s administration because the primary assignment of every government is to secure the lives and property of its citizens.
As contained in a release signed by the National President of ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe and the Public Relations Officer, (PRO) Chief Monday Ikokwu, on Tuesday 16 June, 2020, Governor Uzodinma should act in a haste to save Imolites from being decimated.
The release stated that ASETU has written twice to the Imo State Governor, and the Imo State House of Assembly on the issue of the enactment of “anti grazing bill” in order to put a stop to the unrestrained and troublesome invasion of our communities and farms, killing and raping of our people and women by the Northerners.
They disclosed also that they have written to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the United Nations Secretary General, the traditional rulers and the president of the United States of America on the ethnic cleansing and land grabbing agenda in Eastern Nigeria as perpetrated and perfected by Fulani herdsmen with Governors as collaborators.
Visualizing the heinous and brutal attacks on our people by herdsmen and Northerners recently at Agwa, Oguta LGA, Ngor Okpala LGA and Isiala Mbano, Ezinihitte Mbaise LGAs, ASETU urged everyone especially women and children going to the farmland to be vigilant and at alert and to the neighborhood security watch, Community Vigilante etc in the event of any suspicious activity, movement or influx of strangers within their communities or homes. The town unions were directed to coordinate a community level regular forest combing and bush clearing to ensure that our forests are rid of alien elements. “Self preservation” they reiterated is the first law of nature. We cannot fold our hands and watch this crisis grow beyond our control”.
In the letters written and delivered to the Imo State Governor, ASETU pleaded with him to emulate the Governor of Benue State, Sir Gabriel Ortom, who indicated in Vanguard Newspaper of August 5th 2019, that, “we are implementing our law, and there is relative peace”.
According to ASETU there is apprehension everywhere in Igboland concerning the violation of the lockdown by young men from the North who arrived in several trucks disguised as carrying goods considering the increasing Covid-19 cases in the North. “Security should be the priority of this administration and enactment of the law will stop the Northerners from invading our communities and consequently stop the planned deliberate decimated of our population by those who want to take over our lands and homes by force”.
