The South East Governors Forum has kicked against an alleged proposal made to it by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) requesting to set up herdsmen vigilante group in the region.
MACBAN, it was learnt, earlier made the proposal to the South East governors during a security summit to asking it to allow Fulani vigilantes protect their members and cattle in the region.
The security summit held in the wake of lingering clashes between herders and farmers in the region.
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But the South East Governors Forum, on Monday, described Miyetti Allah’s request as a “joke and not acceptable.”
The forum said this following allegations and criticisms that the South East governors had heeded the herder group’s request.
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, who is the chairman of the forum, described the allegations as “strange”.
“I find it extremely strange for anybody to think that none locals in any part of the country including South East could be allowed to form vigilante outfit,” Umahi said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, in Abakaliki.
“The Miyetti Allah group may have made that suggestion, which I believe will never mean to form a vigilante in (the) South East. (Whatever) is the meaning, no governor will allow that.
“South East Governors have their local vigilantes working with security agencies. Any such demand by Miyetti group is a joke and not acceptable. Governors of South East are doing their best and we have no problems receiving insults from our people. It is the price for leadership.
“The important thing to us is the safety and well-being of our people. OPC and other pressure groups may not have found it fashionable to be insulting their leaders even when their leaders may not be saints,” the governor said.
“My calling is not to insult others. Have we been fairly treated? No. Can we solve the problem by hate speeches? For me, no. Nobody, no matter the level of pretence, can change my style of peaceful leadership. Ebonyi, in particular, has suffered so much, even in the context of the South East. We believe that we do not need hate speeches as a strategy to solve our problems.
“Finally, no Miyetti vigilante in South East. No cattle ranch or colony, but, we must live peacefully with herdsmen that do not destroy our farm land, especially those that were born here and have lived peacefully with us. All South East governors are together on this position,” the governor said.
THE WHISTLER had on Saturday reported the reaction of Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, to Miyetti Allah’s request.
“Fulani herdsmen will not be part of any security arrangement in Abia State. Such strategy could work elsewhere but not in Abia State. We have our own plans which we will be willing to share with other people if they are interested. Our plans do not have provision for Herdsmen as Vigilantes,” Ikpeazu said in a statement on Saturday.