-Condemns verbal proclamation by S/E Governors
As Benue State governor, Ortom blasts Buhari over Insecurity
By Martin Nwoko
The Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU), an umbrella body of town unions in the south east has given its nod to reports of the proscription of open grazing in the South East by the Governors of the geopolitical zone.
A release signed by the national president, Chief Emeka Diwe and the national secretary of the association Hon. Gideon Adikwuru stated that the carnage and destruction of means of livelihood brought on the people of South East by Fulani herdsmem can no longer be tolerated. They recalled that for about three years ASETU has written severally to Governors and Houses of Assembly in the South East to rise to the occasion and do something about the wanton destruction of lives and properties in the region by herdsmem.
The group also pointed out that they convoked a security summit in 2018 at Enugu, a security retreat at Abakaliki in 2019 and also another security retreat at Enugu in 2020.
They expressed concern about the statement credited to the the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, Engr David Nweze Umahi that the order which ban herdsmem from unbridled mobility was made since 2019.
The group wondered why the order was made since 2019 and up till this moment the atrocities of the herdsmem have continued to increase which means that the order is not enough to handle the precarious situation. They therefore called for more concrete steps to checkmate the reprehensible and gruesome activities of herdsmem in the South East region.
Speaking further, the group insisted that there is an overriding necessity for anti-open grazing laws to be enacted in the South East by the various Houses of Assembly. They opined that such laws as conceptualized earlier on will help in addressing the inadequacies of a verbal proclamation by defining enforceable frameworks that will take cognizance of the appropriate punishment to defaulters, restitution to victims and restoration of losses.
Meanwhile, the governor of Benue State, Sir Samuel Ortom yesterday, during a press briefing in government house, accused the Presidency of fueling the crisis across the Nation.He said that federal government has not done anything to address the menace caused by the Fulani Herdsmen in the country but has rather been supporting them in Nigeria activities which are capable of dividing the country.
Ortom wondered why Federal Government has not arrested leaders of Miyetti Allah who reside in Abuja and even hold meetings with some government appointees.
