Ohanaeze, Middle-Belt Youths Move To End Farmers, Herders’ Crisis

The apex Igbo youth body, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has said it would collaborate with the Middle-Belt youths to combat the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the two regions.
The OYC made this known in a statement by its President-General and Secretary-General, Mr Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Mr Okwu Nnabuike, respectively, which was made available to newsmen, yesterday morning.
The group also revealed that it had agreed with the Middle-Belt youths to establish a joint council of Middle-Belt governors and South-East governors on the issues of insecurity and the continuous clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the two regions.
“If there is collaboration between the Middle-Belt and the South-East governors, the herdsmen/farmers clashes will cease to exist,” it added.
The pan-Igbo youth organization passed a vote of confidence on the South-East governors, adding that they had shown courage and strength to pilot the affairs of the region.
On the clamour for President of Igbo extraction in 2023, Ohaneze Youth Council confirmed that it had joined forces with the Middle-Belt Youth Council to realise the aspiration of an Igbo president in the 2023 election.
It said critical stakeholders across the country would be engaged to ensure that the rotational agreement between the South and the North was not jettisoned in 2023.
Parts of the statement read, “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council has entered into a partnership with Middle-Belt Youth Council, led by Emma Zompal, on issues concerning 2023 presidency. We have vowed to put the interests of the two regions ahead on any other issues.
“We would insist that the leadership of the two leading political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), respect the gentleman’s agreement on rotational presidency between the North and the South is obeyed.
“The agreement has stabilised the unity and deepened our democracy since 1999. Through moral and persuasive channels, we will engage critical stakeholders. It is unpatriotic to insist that power will remain in the North after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari by 2023”.
However, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Nasarawa State chapter, says the association is partnering with security agencies to expose criminals in the state.
The chairman stated this in an interview with newsmen, yesterday, in Lafia.
According to him, the partnership is part of the collective efforts to ensure the state is rid of criminals.
He added that security is everybody’s business and not that of the security agencies alone.
“The efforts have yielded a lot of results, leading to the arrest of criminals across the state.
“The kidnappers that killed a man in Lafia recently, after collecting ransom from his family, were arrested by the Fulani vigilantes while trying to dispose the corpse in a bush.
“The two arrested kidnappers have been handed them over to the police,” the chairman said.
Hussaini also said that the association had set up committees to expose criminal elements among the Fulanis, adding that the association would pursue the assignment to the logical conclusion.
“Let me tell you, so many bad eggs among our people, the Fulanis, were exposed and apprehended.”
He explained that the association was determined to redeem the image of its members and strengthen relationship with other groups for the overall development of the state, in particular and the country in general.
The chairman further called on members of the association to continue to be law abiding and report any act of provocation on them to the appropriate authorities for prompt action.