Catholic Church demands expulsion of herdsmen from Enugu

Mon, Aug 5, 2019
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Politics

THE Catholic Church has tasked the government to flush out those it described as bad Fulani, in the state. The church also asked that as a matter of urgency, the vigilance groups should be effectively equipped, to provide protection and security for their various localities.

Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga gave the charge when the diocese celebrated a special Mass for peace and security in Enugu State, yesterday, in honour of the murdered priest, Rev. Fr. Paul Offu.

Onaga said following the increasing rate of insecurity in the form of killings, kidnappings, rapes, destruction of farmlands and properties, and various forms of intimidation in the country, the church was compelled to make the public pronouncement.

It lamented that people were living in a state of anarchy, total breakdown of law and order with alarming number of people-including priests and government officials killed by murderers.

“Our people are now afraid to embark on normal farming activities; for the fear of being raped, our women can no longer carry out regular activities in the villages, particularly their farming and other businesses.

“All these catastrophic evils have hampered peaceful coexistence and development in our state.

“The deployment of surveillance devices has become necessary in our effort to combat these security threats. Government should formulate polices and enact laws that would checkmate these atrocities being meted on our people. Government should provide counselling and other services to victims of these bad Fulani people.”

Meanwhile, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has condemned the killing of Offu, by Fulani herdsmen.

He blamed the killing on failed leadership model and inability of Igbo leaders to stand on their feet.

In a statement issued through the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, Kanu said the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in agreement with South East governors, made the people of the South East and the entire Biafrans look cheap before the Fulani.

Kanu, who doubles as the director of Radio Biafra, also called on the family of the murdered priest and the besieged communities in Enugu and Ebonyi to hold the South East governors, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Aka Ikenga, responsible for  the “preventable death of the priest.”

Kanu further said: “Had Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igbo governors and their cohorts supported IPOB in the formation and deployment of Biafra Security Service (BSS), this senseless loss of life in the hands of Fulani would have been averted and prevented.

“They are the people that conspired and supervised Operation Python Dance 2 that killed, detained and caused the disappearance of many IPOB members.”

“However we must emphasize that until Igbo governors withdraw their allegiance and stop working against IPOB, these deaths at the hands of terrorists may continue. Much work lies in the weeks and months ahead for IPOB, but in the end we shall prevail against powerful external enemies and dominant domestic traitors. We must not relent,” the IPOB leader added. – The Sun

– Aug. 5, 2019 @ 8:19 GMT |

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