Bakassi
Boys, the unorthodox security outfit that once held sway in the
South-East, is regrouping in the aftermath of the Nimbo, Enugu
State attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen in which more than 48 people
were killed.
The Movement for the Actualization of
Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is also reaching out to other groups
across the five states in the geo-political zone to form a united front
against further onslaughts by killer herdsmen, The Nation learnt yesterday.
The various state governments in the
zone have similarly been mapping out their own plans to avoid a
re-enactment of the Enugu State massacre.
The Nation gathered in Awka
that leaders of the Bakassi Boys have been meeting in Abia, Imo, Anambra
and Ebonyi on how to defend the states from further attacks by killer
herdsmen.
A top member of the group who did not
want his name mentioned, said never again would anyone or group be
allowed to terrorize the zone ‘for no just cause’.
Speaking in the same vein, a MASSOB
leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, said the movement was reaching out to
other Igbo groups on the matter.
“There is need for Ndigbo to form a synergy on this issue,” he said.
“We have started making consultations.
This is not an issue MASSOB and other positive groups in Igboland will
leave for the governors and policemen to decide.
“The groups we are talking about are not
ones that find favour on the pages of newspapers, but groups that have
the interests of our people at heart like MASSOB,” Madu said.
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State
met on Thursday night with traditional rulers in the state on how to
forestall a repeat of the Enugu mayhem in Anambra.
The governor told the gathering that government was already monitoring closely suspicious movements in some parts of the state.
He said government was working in
concert with the security agencies in this regard and assured residents
of safety of their lives and property.
He said that where the options available
to government fail, the state is ready to defend the people, but he was
quick to add that “we do not want it to get to that point.”
He said: “We do not want anything to
destroy the beautiful relationship that has existed between Igbo and
Fulani and other Nigerians. We want Anambra to be a shining example and
that is why we are the light of the nation.
“What we intend to do is to send the
Fulani that are living with us here to go and meet with the Fulani in
that area with a view to finding out whether they are coming in peace or
otherwise.
”We agreed at the Security Council Meeting that we will not allow herdsmen to carry arms.
“That is a clear directive from Abuja.
Herdsmen are not supposed to bear arms. Please, if you see any herdsmen
with AK47, report them early to the police so that they can be picked
up.”
The chairman of the South East zone of
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Siddiki
Gidado, commended the governor for convening the meeting and stressed
the need to entrench in the psyche of the herdsmen and their host
communities the code of healthy engagement.
His words: “I must confess that life out
there in the jungle where our people breed their cattle is rough and
this is often compounded by either some acts of carelessness by some
herdsmen or sheer acts of suspicion from natives who might not be
hospitable to the herdsmen traversing their physical space.
“Neither of the issues can be adjudged
insurmountable. It only demands constructive commitment from the
governments and other concerned groups who would deconstruct the
underlying hate mind-set and create a healthy room for mutual trust
amidst diverse business interests”
“The code of healthy engagements must be entrenched in the psyche of the herdsmen and their landlords wherever they are found.”
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