Fulani Likely To Demand Establishment Of Own Chiefdom In South-East’

An Igbo socio-cultural group, Izumunna Cultural Association has reportedly said that people of the South-east would soon be forced to resort to self-help if the federal government fails to prevent the recurrence of continued attacks by Fulani herdsmen.

According to Punch, the group said the incessant violent attacks in the south-east were not accidental but a well-designed plan to acquire land in the region.

“The strategy is to use Fulani herdsmen to coerce local farmers to relinquish part of their farmland for grazing of their livestock as panacea for peace…

“With time, the Fulani will demand the establishment of their chiefdom as they are doing in Kachia in Kaduna State where grazing reserve was carved out for them by the government of Northern Nigeria in the early 1960s,” the group was quoted as saying.

The group said this following the killing of over 20 people on Monday in the Ukpabi Nimbo community in Enugu State.
Reports indicated that over 100 armed cattle rearers stormed the community, killing indiscriminately and razing buildings in the process.

Prior to the attack, the herdsmen had been recruiting gunmen from Nasarawa in preparation for the deadly ambush.

Many of the villagers escaped to the nearby Uzo-Uwani area, where many of the natives in the community are fearing for their safety in light of more attacks.

The villagers said they were abandoned even after they alerted security agencies to the plan to attack them.