Leave our people out of herdsmen killing in Ebonyi – Benue Govt tells Umahi

 

April 30, 2021 | The Biafra Times

The Benue State Government has asked its Ebonyi State counterpart to hold the Fulani herdsmen responsible for attacks in the state particularly the recent killings in Umwuagodo-Akpu community of Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

DAILY POST reports that Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State had accused the Agila Community in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State of launching attacks on Ebonyi community which led to the killing of unspecified number of residents recently.

Reacting, the Deputy Government of Benue State and Chairman Benue Boundary Committee, Engr Benson Abounu in a statement on Friday urged Umahi to leave Benue out of attacks in the Ebonyi Communities.

Engr Abounu, who expressed disappointment over Governor Umahi’s allegation, urged him to conduct a proper investigation on the incident and retract his claim.

According to him, residents of the attacked community had identified the assailants as Fulani herdsmen yet Umahi insisted that the people of Agila were involved in the attack.

The statement reads: “While we sympathize with the victims and families of those affected in the gruesome attack, it is important to state that there is no evidence linking the Agila people of Benue State with the offence.

“We are surprised at the attempt by the Ebonyi State Governor to change the narrative and find scapegoats for an action everyone, including the survivors themselves said was carried out by Fulani herdsmen.

“When the attack first occurred, even without any form of verification, and against the avalanche of evidence that it was carried out by Fulani herdsmen, Governor Umahi had hurriedly accused Agila people of responsibility.

“Today, two weeks after, in order to validate his earlier assertion, Governor Umahi is laying blame on the Agila people even as he has accepted that the attack was actually carried out by Fulani herdsmen. He now says that the herdsmen were hired by Benue people. Even a gullible public will find this difficult to swallow.

“It will be recalled that victims of the aitack had categorically identified herdsmen as the attackers. In spite of this, the Governor still went ahead to accuse the Agila people who convincingly absolved themselves of the atrocity.

“Given the foregoing, we are now compelled to ask of Governor Umahi the following questions:

“How did he come about the statement that the Agila people hired the Fulani herdsmen killers?

“Where is the evidence supporting the claim that Agila hired the herdsmen attackers?

“Did any Fulani herdsman tell Governor Umahi that the Agila people hired his kinsmen?

“Has Governor Umahi bothered to interact with the Agila side to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the claim?

“Let me state here that when news of the attack broke and the Governor cast aspersion on the Benue side, I, as Benue Deputy Governor and Boundary Committee Chairman, engaged my Ebonyi counterpart and we both investigated the unfortunate incident. Our findings did not support the claim that Agila people either directly attacked or masterminded the attack on Umuogodo-Akpu of Ebonyi State.

“I believe that it is now pertinent to request the Governor of Ebonyi State to make available all evidence, if any, of Agila’s involvement in the said attack. Otherwise we in Benue will have no choice but to conclude that the Governor’s unfounded claim amounts to inciting his people against Agila people and by extension Benue State. Moreso as the Governor in his press briefing after the State Security meeting, presented a cheque of N40m to Umuogodo-Akpu people to settle the victims AND to enable them form a “Vigilante”!!

“This, in our view, is dangerous coming from the Governor of a State. We will therefore demand that Governor Umahi takes a second look at the whole saga in order to properly address the unfortunate event”.

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The Subjugated Ants And The Ferocious Elephants- An Untold Story Of The Fallen Empire

By Eluwa Chidiebere Chinazu | Biafra Writers

April 22, 2018

The "bulletproof" politicians whose properties and children are bulletproofed, and with additional retinues armed to the teeth to provide unprecedented security to them, are exerting their gigantic politically-derived prowess on the already disfranchised and beleaguered masses in Nigeria. When they sail briskly with their pricey bulletproof Hilux vans with blaring sirens, they lift and spray dust on the distressed, impoverished and suffering masses with their highly-coated tyres. The impoverished masses who moiled to fetch themselves with one or two frugal and inexpensive coat (Coat of many colors) are now being belittled and humiliated with impunity and no regard for their pitiable lives.

They discover themselves on cloud nine when they violate laws and unlawfully propel the masses into hardship just for their greedy interests in amassing wealth for themselves and their generations yet to be born. To them, they brag to be the elephants who own the land and view the poor masses who are toiling day and night, as ants. These elephantic politicians stay in a well-furnished cozy office, enjoying the pleasure and satisfaction of the world-class air conditioning machines on account of the poor masses' money.

The ants— the oppressed people in Nigeria, those who are subjugated, marginalised and whom the cold hands of the Nigerian government have snatched away their loved ones, their happiness and rendered them useless. These ants; the second class citizens and those perceived to be arrogantly regarded as the "born to rule" citizens by the elephantic politicians. These ants are littered everywhere among the three constituencies forcedly joined to form Nigeria. The name Nigeria as neologised by Flora Shaw, remains a common enemy to these ants, the oppressed people in Arewa, Oduduwa and in Biafra land.

READ ALSO: BRITISH AUTHORITIES SNEAKS NIGERIAN PRESIDENT OUT, AMIDST THE THRONG OF PEACEFUL BIAFRA PROTESTERS

These elephantic politicians have seen themselves as cats with nine lives. In Britain that inculcated in them the evils they orchestrate against the poor masses, they have built bulletproof houses and named it Abuja 1 and Abuja 2 just for their own safety. They, in a concealed place, assembled and crowned themselves overhead of the laws and rules governing the people in the country. They like ringing their names from the mountain tops just to freestyle, display and demonstrate their elephantic dominion over the ants in order to instill fear in them so that they may never rise up to question or challenge their wrongdoings. To these elephantic politicians, they are the superhumans while the ants are the nadirs.

The ants are shivering, they have gone undercover. Before, these ants do prostrate out to listen to the songs of the sirens and to take a glance at the soldiering vans of their elephantic political subjugators. But now, they have gone AWOL, hiding in their pitiful and wretched houses for safety as if that is a necessary security measure to take when dealing with the elephantic politicians. In their hearts are piled up with hatred for these elephantic politicians, in their eyes, l see unquenchable fire burning and ready to devour their subjugators before one can say, Jack Robinson.

But now is the genesis of the fall of these elephantic politicians because the ants have been pushed to the wall and further retreat is no longer obtainable. What is now left of the ants is to attack back with force against these elephantic politicians in Nigeria. They have come to the realisation of their common problem in life which is fear, that is holding them down for decades in defeating these elephantic politicians.

At last, there will be an influx of these ants from Arewa, Oduduwa, and Biafra to challenge these oppressors. By then, the holy voice and message of freedom must have touched every heart. Once again, these ants shall sing a new song to their Creator for giving them the moral to challenge their common enemy. Because when the ants unite, their power shall overshadow that of the elephants. They will thank their Gods for making them to understand that with them, these elephantic politicians are like empty drones that make the largest noise.

The Biafra Times 2018

Edited By Chukwuemeka Chimerue