The International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (Intersociety) has revealed that 139 Igbo communities are under siege by Fulani herdsmen, reports ITREALMS.
Intersociety in a report made available to ITREALMS on Saturday, disclosed that Fulani herdsmen, “backed by the present Government of Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo are presently in violent control of 139 communities, villages and areas in Igbo land.”
“The violent occupation, also backed by the country’s security forces, is widely and strongly believed to have religious undertones or done for purposes of propagation and imposition of radical Islamism in the Judeo-Christian dominated Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt including seven Igbo speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Delta and Rivers State as well as Igbo areas of Benue and Kogi states and their Christian and animist neighbours,” the group said in a statement released from its headquarters in Onitsha, Anambra State.
“The present Government of Nigeria is also bent on erasing the Igbo Nation particularly the Southeast Region from the top command structure of the Nigeria Police Force and other branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It must be alerted that no senior police officer from the Southeast is among members of the Nigeria Police Management Team, made up of serving IGP, seven DIGs and 20-22 AIGs including the Force Secretary. Presently, no serving senior police officer from the Southeast is AIG and DIG and out of 95 CPs, only two are from the Igbo Southeast,” Intersociety further said in the statement signed by Board Chair Emeka Umeagbalasi; lawyers Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head of Civil Liberties & Rule of Law; and Evangeline Chidinma Udegbunam, Head of Campaign & Publicity Department.
Continuing, the statement said: “The Federal Government and its security forces backed violent occupation is also likely to be (or not) of the ‘Nigerian Forest Mapping’ assignment, reportedly ordered by the Buratai led authorities of the Nigerian Army in late 2015; said to have been carried out for purpose of tackling insurgency and other ‘internal insecurity challenges in Nigeria’. The violent presence of the Jihadists in Igbo Land is also independently linked to insider gubernatorial conspiracy. In other words, suspicions are widely and independently strong and viral that the violent presence of the Jihadists and patterns and trends of their criminalities and crimes in Igbo Land are conspiratorially made possible by gubernatorial second term or office succession bids of the Southeast Govs starting with Anambra State in 2017. Though gubernatorial denials have been made, but such denials have not flown convincingly among the mainstream homeland, outpost, traveler and Diaspora Igbo People and their neighbours.
“Facts of the Matter: The violent takeover of 139 Igbo Communities, Villages and Areas was according to the account of the monthly Eastern Outlook, vol.003, 13th August-14th Sept 2019 (p.15): the (Jihadist) Fulani Herdsmen have taken over 139 Communities and Villages in Igbo Land. The story was also authenticated by the publisher of the Newspaper, Mr. Abia Onyike; a seasoned rights activist, former Chair of CLO Southeast Zone and onetime Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi State, Mr. Abia Onyike, who was met by Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi in Owerri at the venue of the 2019 Igbo Summit on Security, Peace & Dev in Igbo Land & her neighbours, where Mr. Umeagbalasi was the key speaker.
“Mr. Umeagbalasi had at the summit spoken on: Highlighting the Challenges of State and non State actor created Insecurity in Igbo Land & her Neighbors. The special summit, organized by the Alaigbo Dev Foundation, the World Igbo Congress, the Association of Southeast Town Unions and the Christian Association of Nigeria, Southeast, etc, took place on 22nd August 2019. The 20-page special security lecture will be made public in coming days. Mr. Abia Onyike had further disclosed that Enugu State has the highest Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen presence with 56 spots, followed by Anambra with 23, Imo 17, Ebonyi 12 and Abia seven. In Igbo areas of Delta and Rivers States, there are 15 spots in Delta and nine in Rivers.
“Names of the 139 Igbo Communities, Villages & Areas & Their Locations By State: Anambra: Nteje, Ogbunka, Ufuma, Ezira, Umunze, Umuchukwu, Akpu, Ndikeilionwu, Ogboji, Ndiowu, Anam, Achala, Ebenebe, Ogbunike, Osina, Okija, Ihiala, Ukpo, Dunukofia, Agulu, Neni, Ogbu and 3-3 Area of Nsugbe. Abia: Lokpanta, Leeru, Nkpa, Ohafia, Bende, Ubakala and Owerre-Nta. Ebonyi: Emoha, Nkalagu, Afikpo, Izzi, Ezza, Ezzaegu, Ezamgbo, Ukpo, Ekeimoha, Akpoha, Abomege and Onicha. Enugu: Ibite Ogbaku, Akpugo, Achi, Amansii, Nachi, Ukpabi-Nimbo, Ukpata, Akegbe-Ugwu, Ugwuoba, Eka Aku, Igbo-Etiti, Amagunze, Amaechi Idodo, Ugwu-Onyeama, Egede.
“Other Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen spots in Enugu are: Adada, Nkpologwu, Afa, Opanda, Uzo Uwani, Uvuru, Adani, Ugwu Aboh, Waziri Estate-Nsukka, Enugu-Ezike, Neke-Uno, Akpogasi, Ugwuogo, Ekpebe, Madonna University Layout, Ihuokpa-3-Corner, Akwuke, Industrial Layout-Emene, Unity Layout, Ibagwa-Nike City Layout-Amokwe, Heritage Layout-Oyoho-Nike, Odo Rice-Emene, New Zion State Layout-Ugwu Onyeama, Phase 11, Independence Layout, 4-Corner, Redemption Layout, Amokpo, Ugbaka-Nkanu, Aninri and Awgu.
“Others Are: Delta (Anioma Land): Agbor, Okpanam, Iselleukwu, Oshimmili, Onicha-Ugbo, Ndokwa, Umunede, Ogwasiukwu, Ibusa (Igbo-Uzor), Kwale, Obiaruku, Igbanke (Igbo-Akiri), Asaba (Ahaba) and Ella. And Rivers: Onuimo, Ugurunta, Omoku, Ahuada, Omuha, Emeoha, Okehi, Isiokpo, Oleh and Umuechem.”
*Chuks Egbune/Editor with additional reports from NewsExpress.com.
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