A socio-political organisation with branches in all Igbo speaking states, the Igbo National Council, INC, has berated the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government of Nigeria over its poor handling of the security challenges ravaging parts of the country.
Comrade Chilos Godsent, National President of the group, in a statement signed and made available to newsmen yesterday morning, came hard on the Buhari-led administration and heads of security agencies over the way “they were pampering the terrorist group called Miyetti Allah”.
According to the statement, “With recent inflammatory statements and hate speeches credited to the leadership of the Miyetti Allah, against the Igbo race in Nigeria since the formal inauguration swearing-in of President Muhammadu Buhari for his second term, it has become very necessary that the federal government of Nigeria declare Miyetti Allah, a terrorist organization and immediately order the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute them with immediate effects as their statement to attack and invade the South East region of Nigeria is capable of igniting an ethnic war.
“The Igbo National Council, (INC), will take every proactive step to resist and defend the igbo territories against any form of attack, aggression or invasion by group in whatever disguise or name. The orchestrated unholy conspiracies and gang up against the igbo race in Nigeria must be put to stop”.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, has denied recent reports, in which it was quoted as threatening to soon attack the five South-eastern states over the purported stubbornness of their governors.
Chairman of the group in the South-East, AIhaji Gidado Sidikki, who briefed journalists in Awka during a short prayer to mark the Eid-el-fitr celebration for Muslims in the city, said that the reports ascribed to him, in which he was quoted to have said that states of the South-east zone would be attacked by herders, were blatant falsehood.
Meanwhile, the Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Organisation, Afenifere, yesterday condemned the statement credited to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, over the issue of insecurity, especially kidnapping in the South-West and some other parts of the country.
The group alleged that the VP said last Sunday in the United States of America that the kidnapping incidents in the South-West were politically motivated. The Afenifere described the statement as unfortunate and provocative.
This was contained in the communique issued at the end of the monthly meeting of Afenifere, held at the residence of its leader of the group, Pa. Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital. The communique was read by the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Mr. Yinka Odumakin.
The group said it was overwhelmed by the reports of the traumatisation of the Yoruba people, allegedly by the Fulani herdsmen who were kidnappers and militia, all across the six states in the South-West as well as Kwara and Kogi States.
The group said, “All the reports provided clear indications of failure of the state as the security forces are largely incapable or unwilling to safeguard the lives of our people against these criminals as we are not aware of any of them that has been arrested or is under trial at the moment just as all the Federal Government has done so far is to make excuses for the Boko Haram and Miyetti Allah groups that have been accused of so many crimes against the people of Nigeria.
“It is against this backdrop that the meeting was scandalised by the opportunistic and provocative utterances of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in NewYork on Sunday dismissing the danger we are faced in Yorubaland as well as by other zones in Nigeria as being “politically motivated .”
“As if he is unaware that we are in a digital world, which explains why America and Britain have issued travel directives to their citizens not to travel to more than 2/3 of Nigeria, the VP without much thought for his integrity stated that: ‘With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in parts of the country, again, this is not entirely new. In fact, some of the kidnapping stories you read or listen to are simply not true anywhere, some are fueled by politics.”
Describing the alleged Osinbajo’s comments as unfortunate, Afenifere alleged that the vice president had shamed the Yoruba people with “his very cheap politicking with the lives of Nigerians.”
It stated further, “Aside from the daily tales of horror across Yorubaland in the hands of these Fulani marauders, the meeting (Afenifere) would like Osinbajo to answer the following questions: Is the report of the kidnap of a District Head from President Buhari’s town from May 1 (2019) till date politically motivated? Was the President speaking of another country when he handed kidnappers on the rampage to God?
“Was the former Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, playing politics when it was announced that his son was kidnapped? What politics was afoot when the Ondo State Governor recently announced that his convoy was waylaid by kidnappers?
“If he cannot answer these questions, he should kneel before his God and ask for forgiveness for violating ‘Thou shall not lie’ commandment.
We further admonish him not to allow whatever ambition and political interest he serves to push him to make such infuriating comments as the number two man in the country again.”
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to be more proactive on the issue of security in the country. It said the President should “ separate the office of the President of Nigeria which he occupies from being also the grand patron of Miyetti Allah which we suspect makes it very difficult for security agents to go after members of this group whenever they commit or are accused of crimes.”