Herdsmen Have Spilled 36,000 Litres Of Nigerian Blood – ICCA/Umunna

A socio-cultural and political organization socio-cult , the Igbo Canadian Community Association, ICCA/Umunna, has accused rampaging herdsmen of spilling 36,000 litres of blood in Nigeria, asserting that, “nobody would want to entertain a people who slaughter and kill the way the Fulani herdsmen have exhibited within the last three years”.

It stated this while commending the decision by the South-East governors to reject the proposed establishment of cattle ranches within the region by the Federal Government, adding that it was courageous for them to announce that no state in the region will donate any land for the federal government’s proposed establishment of cattle ranches in the zone.

In a statement issued Thursday in Toronto, Canada by the President, Chief Ugochukwu Okoro, through the Public Relations Officer, Ahaoma Kanu, the pressure group said, “the unanimous action and consolidated decision taken by the leaders of Ndigbo to stand shoulder to shoulder in one voice to reject the unconstitutional, insensitive and chronically ill-intended desire of the Federal Government to establish cattle ranches for the sole purpose of cattle grazing for the Fulani herdsmen is a stitch in time that will save thousands of lives from imminent deaths, catastrophic pain and bloodshed which has become the trademark of the bandits the government is giving such undeserved preference.”

ICCA/Umunna noted that the resolve to reject ranching in the South-East was announced after a meeting held by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Willie Obiano (Anambra) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) represented by their deputy governors in Enugu, and that Governor Rochas Okorocha (Imo) was absent and was not represented.

The group observed that the decision of the governors was, “coming at a time it is becoming obvious that the Presidency is not handling this burning issue the way it ought to be handled. We have seen from the body language, action and utterances from the Presidency that the Federal Government is not bothered about the thousands of lives that have been gruesomely lost to this group of militants which is known to be the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the Global Terrorism Index.”

Okoro said, “It is absurd and unimaginable that the Federal Government will be thinking of acquiring thousands of acres of land from people in all states and regions within Nigeria to build ranches for the exclusive use of Fulani herdsmen who have continuously wreaked havoc, killed and maimed thousands of men, women and children as well as burnt down properties and places of worship at will without any of them being brought to book. It is troubling that a group that is well known to the security agencies are still walking about freely and allegedly threatening more attacks with no law and order enforced or any investigation carried out.”

The ICCA/Umunna stated that they stand with their leaders in rejecting ranching in any shape or form and want to make it clear that the decision of their leaders is the collective decision of Ndigbo on this issue while admonishing the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria to respect the decision.