A group under the aegis of Indigenous People of Niger Delta, has challenged the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa to stop “acting like a coward” and emulate his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayose by placing a ban on Fulani herdsmen in the state.
The group made the remark in response to the alleged killings of four farmers by Fulani herdsmen in Abraka on January 4, few days after two others were murdered at Obiaruku on the same day, both in Delta state.
In a statement by its publicity secretary, Dr. Harrison Ebelo, the group frowned at the governor’s continued silence over the persistent killings by herdsmen in the state.
According to the statement entitled: “Abraka/Ubairuku Fulani Herdsmen Killings: Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and other Niger Delta governors should emulate Governor Ayo Fayose and stop acting like cowards”, the group described Okowa’s silence as unacceptable.
The statement reads in part: “The Indigenous People of Niger Delta (IPND) has been thrown into mourning nationwide, with the news of the killing of our brothers and sisters in Abraka and Obiaruku by the bloodthirsty tools of islamization, popularly called Fulani herdsmen.
“This is not only unacceptable but a sacrilege by a group we have shown great deal of hospitality. It is an attempt to stoke insurrection in us and perhaps stretch our patience beyond its elastic limit.
“Under normal circumstance, the people are the government since power lies in their hands to decide who they will give the mantle of leadership.
“However, and sadly, we are experiencing an era of governance where the mouth piece of the people becomes the underground perpetrator of cowardice.
“We have wondered endlessly why the Governor of Delta will continually keep mute on the issue of herdsmen invasion and incessant massacres/killings in the state. Where in the world, is animal life more valued than human life?
“It only seems that the people’s life is not important to our politicians. We the Indigenous People of Niger Delta have taken this into heart as we mourn our victimized brothers and sisters whose fate has been decided by some illegitimate animals in human forms, from the northern caliphate.
“We, in our mourning mode hereby call on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to stop the cowardice and emulate Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state to ban the activities of Fulani herdsmen henceforth.
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to “arrest all of them and prosecute them immediately and or otherwise expect us to do whatever it takes to protect our land.”
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