Group Blames S’East Governors For Ebonyi Massacre

A group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, says the Monday massacre in some communities in Ebonyi State is a pointer that the Southeast Governors’ Forum has failed in providing security to the people of the region.

The group, in a Wednesday’s release signed by its principal officers, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Igboeli, Chidimma Udegbunam and Samuel Kamanyaoku, which was obtained by our correspondent in Abakaliki, also described the tears shed by Gov Dave Umahi when he visited the scene of the mayhem as “crocodile tears”. In its view, Gov Umahi was the architect of the current breakdown of law and order in his state by signing “away personal, collective and territorial security and safety of his own people and putting them in present and future dangers by having them handed over to jihadist entities, done in return for being in office as ‘two term governor of Ebonyi State. “

The rights group claimed that, “Under Governor Dave Umahi as Ebonyi governor and chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum, the Southeast region and Igbo enclaves in neighbouring Benue and Kogi states have grown porously and become gravely at risk and endangered. The present Southeast Governors Forum is the weakest in Nigeria and a threat to future security and safety of the homeland Igbo nation and her people.”

The group further stated that, “The medicine-after-death visit and mourning by Gov Dave Umahi at the scenes of the Monday night (29th March) attacks, killings and property violence levied against defenseless rural Christian dwellers in Nkalaha, Obegu, Amazu, Nkalagu and Umuhuali communities in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State during which dozens were slaughtered and maimed, property including dwelling homes destroyed and other valuable items carted away or looted, are a clear case of a governor who conspiratorially and vicariously signed away personal, collective and territorial security and safety of his own people and put them in present and future dangers by having them handed over to jihadist entities, done in return for being in office as two term governor of Ebonyi State’.”

It further berated governors of states in the Southeast for lacking security consciousness, adding that they had “entered their names in the negative book of posterity as foundation layers towards destruction and enslavement of Igbo people and their natural territories,”

It noted that, “By watching over the destructive invasion of the homeland Igbo nation and invocation of religious war against Igbo people, masqueraded as ‘inter-regional cattle grazing’, the governors chaired by Engr Dave Umahi have also become students of Malthusian Theory and conspiratorial importers of radical Islamism against their own people and homeland and shall be held responsible in the event of eruption of looming citizens’ reprisal radicalism.

“Intersociety therefore makes bold to say that Governor Dave Umahi, who visited the affected communities reportedly in mourning mood, is clearly shedding crocodile tears. We had long time ago found that as at end of 2014, there was little or no number of Fulani cattle herders’ settlements in forests, bushes and farmlands of the Igbo nation, except in urban centres or their outskirts occupied by Hausa natives, later joined by some Fulani, most of who are ‘Fulani Ngida’ or the sedentary Fulani. Cattle herders then were involved in making seasonal ‘travel-and-return-trips’ southwards or in rainforest regions.

“Today, as factually attested to by our series of research, over 700 violent Fulani settlements abound in the forests, bushes and farmlands of the homeland Igbo nation in the Southeast and Igbo parts of Benue, Kogi, Delta, Edo and Rivers states. The Fulani jihadist attacks in Ebonyi are not the first or the second nor the last. Deep look into reported ‘inter communal clashes’ in the state has also raised strong suspicions and accusing fingers in the direction of jihadist herdsmen; whereby they launch camouflaged attacks at targeted communities and retreat to their hideouts after such attacks and put such communities and their neighbours at daggers drawn.”

Recall that many people were killed by alleged herders on the borders of Enugu and Ebonyi States Monday night. Among those killed was a priest of Methodist Church, whose car was also burnt.

It was learnt that the killers blocked the road en route to Eha-Amufu in Enugu State from Ishielu while carrying out the acts. Among the victims were okada riders and their passengers and the natives.

Conflicting reports gave the figures of the dead between 20 and 34, though the police PRO of the state, Lovet Odah, said the figure was seven as of Tuesday. She added that the state police commissioner had deployed a team, led by a deputy police commissioner, to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Gov Umahi, during on-the-spot assessment of the area, alongside security operatives, vowed to fish out the perpetrators.