Irigwe Community Of Plateau, Decries Resumed Killings In Irigwe By Suspected Herders

Yakubu Busari

The Irigwe Development Association, IDA, has decried about the resumed killing allegedly by Fulani Herdsmen  in their settlements.

The President of the  Irigwe Development Association, Hon Sunday A.Abdu  raised an alarm over the brutal murder of innocent civilians by men suspected to herders who sneaked into their villagers.

He said ,”it has become pertinent to seek your help in raising our collective voice to the orgy of evil that has once more, visited our dear land, the Irigwe chiefdom”.

Truth is, recently the land has not known peace owing to the wicked activities of herders who have continued to destroy farmlands in an attempt to weaken the economic life of our people. More worrisome is the loss of lives to this senseless campaign of calumny.

While our people have continued to remain indoors and law abiding in the wake of the national outcry over the virus, the assailant Fulani herdsmen have continued each day within the last two weeks ,to visit us with mayhem.

On Wednesday, 1 April, Ancha , one of our troubled communities was visited once more in an attack that left three people dead and various houses razed.

On Thursday 2 April, we woke up to bury six people burnt to death in HUkke from an overnight attack.

Recently also, two young men were murdered in cold blood in nkyiedongwro while returning from moulding bricks.

There was also the killing of two mourners at kpenrie village on 23 March, same day three children were also killed at Gbra zongu village.

As we prepared this release today, 3 April, the news came in that same nkyiedongwro suffered another night attack, such that there may be no house left unburnt.

The dastardly activities of the assailants did not only end on us, as even the security personnel stationed to protect us have tested their venom when two of their comrades were murdered in cold blood. When this happened, we expected a more robust activity by the operation safe Haven to apprehend the culprits and bring their activities to a halt. Unfortunately, this ugly trend has continued.

The entire rigwe land commiserates with the military over the avoidable loss of its men who paid the supreme price while protecting our lives.

The Paramount ruler, Braa Nggwe Rigwe, Reverend Ronku Aka, and myself, the president, Irigwe Development Association, have since send condolences to the operation safe Haven over the incident.

We are however worried by the recent withdrawal of men of the special security task force, operation safe haven from our domain.

When this happen beginning from March 21, we thought it was a routine military action, and expected to see another set deployed. But it has been over a week since that action was carried out, and here we are with a resumption of hostilities on our soil.

We are confused and do not know what to make of this reality.

That these atrocities have resumed, is the more reason we need security presence in our land.

It must be noted that even in the north east which has been the theatre of war with some losses incurred by the military, never is the army withdrawn. Why has our case been different? Are we to think that we are paying the price for a crime that the Fulani herdsmen committed by killing the two soldiers in question?

OUR CONCERN

We are deeply concerned about the obvious silence of the plateau state government over these resumed hostilities on our soil. Is the government to concern about the raging corona virus pandemic that we are almost abandoned to the gruesome activities of the Fulani marauders?

If the government does not rise up to tackle this challenge, Irigwe land would be wiped off even before the COVID 19 Comes close to plateau state.

OUR APPEAL

We want to sincerely appeal to the military authorities to please as a matter of concern and urgency, redeploy personnel to resume security duties in our land.

If during their presence the assailants dared launched attacks on our communities, what more now that they are withdrawn. We are tempted to feel that this withdrawal of troops may have given impetus to the rampaging herdsmen to continue or escalate their campaign of bloodsucking.

We therefore appeal that the authorities immediately respond to our cry by returning the personnel.

Also, we want to appeal to the plateau state government to as a matter of consolidating on the peace that the state has enjoyed for a while now, wade in by talking to the top echelon of the military to do the needful in this regard.

We are a people of peace and work daily to ensure it is sustained in our domain and the state as a whole. Unfortunately, our people are now homeless and helpless. As we go to sleep today, only God knows which community is next in this daily rampage. We are therefore suing for assistance in catering for our displaced, especially as this is coming at a terrible time of national emergency.