Benue Killings: Ohanaeze Charges Southeast Govs to Establish LGA Vigilante Groups
By Onyeka Nnabu
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization Ohanaeze Ndigbo has charged the southeast governors to establish Local Government Areas Vigilante Groups to defend against the Fulani terrorists and armed groups lurking within the forests.
In a statement issued by the Deputy President General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the organization threatened to hold the southeast governors responsible if any part of the region is invaded by the killers.
According to Isiguzoro: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls upon our Southeast governors to act decisively by establishing Local Government Area (LGA) Armed Vigilante Groups in all 95 Local Government Areas of the Southeast”.
“Any governor failing to implement proactive and effective security measures—both formal and informal—will be held culpable for any subsequent acts of violence within their jurisdiction. This negligence will not go unpunished; the Igbo people will respond with rightful indignation at the ballot box in the next elections”.
“In light of alarming developments, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the foremost sociocultural organization of the Igbo people, issues an urgent and unequivocal warning to our governors in the Southeast”.
“The Fulani militias, directly implicated in the recent and tragic massacres in Benue State, have now infiltrated our region. This invasion places the very fabric of our communities at significant risk, and we cannot afford to remain complacent”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo noted that intelligence reports had revealed that a troubling influx of armed perpetrators crossing into Enugu, Anambra, and Ebonyi States from neighboring Kogi and Benue States.
“Citizens across these areas have expressed grave concerns over the clandestine night movements of these militias, who are unsettlingly present and unchallenged in our borders”.
“These are perilous times for the Southeast, and it is imperative for our governors to awaken from their slumber. Urgent action is required to prevent possible attacks on the Igbo populace in the near future”.
“The reality we face is uncomfortable: the unrestrained infiltration of our territory signals that the Southeast may soon become a target for further terrorist atrocities. If our government leaders maintain their conspiratorial silence and turn a blind eye to these foreign elements, they will share in the blame for any ensuing violence”, he added.
The apex body reiterated that the initiative to establish robust vigilante groups was expedient as reliance solely on government promises for their safety was no longer viable.
