- It is an attempt to burn Nigeria – MASSOB
- No, that’s not true, it’s for security – Miyetti Allah
By CHRIS NJOKU, OWERRI
The leader of the of Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, Uchenna Madu, has said the plan to establish Fulani youth vigilance body in communities of the South East is a ploy to escalate violence and kidnapping in the region.
Madu told our correspondent that such a plan was also to facilitate President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda to Islamise the South East, in particular , and the entire Nigeria.
But in a swift reaction, the Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Imo State Chapter, Alhaji Ibrahim Dikko Ajara, said that the allegation was unfounded as their aim to establish the vigilance group was not political, but to ensure that relative peace in the state was maintained.
The National President of Miyetti Allah, Alhaji Mohammadu Kirowa, while making a request last Thursday during the South East Security Summit organised by South East Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture, in collaboration with South East Governors Forum in Enugu, called for the establishment of Vigilance group to work with the security, the neighbourhood watch or vigilance group to ensure security in all communities, as being done in Enugu State.
Madu, however, maintained that the agenda was to Islamise the nation using the Fulani youth Vigilance body in communities to make an inroad into the zone believed to be impenetrable to the religious aim of the Fulani leaders.
According to him, it is part of the systematic plan to actualise their long ambitious aim of Islamisation of Nigeria.
“What they are doing is part of the systematic plan to Islamise Nigeria, because parts of Eastern zone had been difficult to conquer. So, they have devised a means to implement it,” he stated.
He disclosed that within the next three months there would be another vigilance apparatus that would be set up by the Federal Government, which would be attached to the police department.
“Within the next three months the Federal Government will create a vigilance group attached to police, DSS and they will make the Fulanis to be in charge of the body. They will deliberately recruit people from the South East to be in the body to cover their aim. With this singular action, the South East governors are supposed to call for stakeholders’ meeting, but they will not do it because they are cowards,” he said.
In all, he said that MASSOB “is, however, happy with this development because for many months we have been calling on our people to back us in our quest to actualise Biafra state. But we have cowards as political leaders, we have cowards as religious leaders, we have cowards as traditional rulers.”
He lampooned the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, calling him “a stooge.” whose ambition was to sacrifice his people for the sake of becoming a president in 2023.
“You imagine the Governor of Ebonyi State been backed by Miyetti Allah. They’re advocating that he becomes the president in 2023. The Enugu State governor is now crying because the herdsmen killed his brother. Rochas Okorocha is now crying; before his thinking was that they would back him to become president. Anambra State governor also does not know what he is doing,” he added.
He, however, commended the Rivers State governor and other governors in the South South for their doggedness and determination to liberate their people from the stronghold of the “few Northern leaders.”
He said, “Go to Yoruba land, they are working with the OPC to establish their stand, but in Igboland, their leaders want to condemn the IPOB, MASSOB and others to support Buhari/Fulani agenda.
“We will encourage them to go ahead so that the Buhari/Fulani agenda to Islamize Nigeria would burn the entire nation to ashes so that the remnant of Biafra will arise, the remnant of Oduduwa would arise and the remnant of Arewa would arise from the ashes that would consume the entire nation.”
But the Miyetti Allah chieftain in Imo State said the allegation was unfounded as their aim to establish the Vigilance group was not political, but to ensure peace in the state.
“Imo is a peaceful state, if we are not here, the violence that would have engulfed the state following the clash between the Herdsmen and farmers would have be unimaginable,” the Chairman, Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Imo State Chapter, Alhaji Ajara disclosed.
He said that they have always called for peaceful co-existence between cattle rearers and farmers and had never encouraged violence.
“We are only calling for the formation of taskforce committee that would provide security for both the herdsmen and farmers for peaceful co-existence; it is not for the purpose of Islamisation. It is only Imo that does not have it, we want the government here to set it up,” he said.
According to him, Miyetti Allah is backed by Sultan of Sokoto and other powerful Northern Fulani leaders, who are respectable people, who do not encourage violence.
He however, advised the herdsmen to maintain peace wherever they go, adding that they should not allow their cattle to destroy people’s farmlands, as they would not be happy if any of their cattle is killed by the farmers.
“If somebody comes to your house to fight you, he is the one that finds your trouble. So, it is with the farmers. If the cattle breeders come to their farm and allow their cattle to destroy the people’s farms, they are the ones that find trouble. That is why we are calling on government in the state to establish the taskforce that will ensure peaceful co-existence between the herdsmen and farmers in the state.
