*AOJOKO K’OTUKPO CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST HERDERS INVASION.*
By steve anyebe.
The body of Aojoko k’Otukpo, Special Advisers to the Och’Otukpo Odu, paramount ruler of the Otukpo Kingdom in Central Nigeria, has called for action to halt the incessant invasion of Benue South Senatorial District by herdsmen.
In a press statement made available to mustardpoint.com in Otukpo town, after an on-the-spot inspection of Okpomaju village which was recently ravaged by suspected armed fulani herdsmen, the Chairman of Aojoko k’Otukpo, Dr David Onyilokwu Ekwo, said the unprovoked attack on Okpomaju must be treated as a continuation of the trending agenda of an ultimate land-grabbing strategy by marauding herdsmen, calling for concerted actions to halt the push once and for all.
According to the press release the AOJOKO K’OTUKPO “are worried over the spate of herders invasion of the Nigerian state, and in deed the entire Sahel region. We are particularly perturbed by the most recent attack on Okpomaju village, a hitherto sleeping rural community of the Otukpo people of Benue State. We totally condemn the barbaric and dastardly act, and are constrained to call for immediate joint actions of stakeholders to put permanent end to the persistent unrest that claim lives and property. It is worrisome that 6 lives and property worth millions of naira have been lost to the Okpomaju invasion alone. And, this had been the trend with a plethora of other Idoma communities. The losses from herders invasion have attained a scaringly monumental magnitude. If it is not mitigated, the trend could degenerate into ethnic cleansing.”
It appealed to Governments at all
levels to show greater determination to overhaul and strengthen security architecture to stamp out these retrogressive actions of the marauders. “We require sharpening of intelligence network, tightening security surveillance and setting up of more military formations to maintain law and order in our community and it’s environs. The cardinal principle of good governance is the welfare and security of the people. Yet attainment of this objective is daily becoming a mirage. Government must therefore justify the essence of it’s existence by fighting to exterminate the ugly trend. This action must be a fait accompli because our people are currently being subjected to untold hardship as a result of the attacks which have generated intense humanitarian crisis. Many are left hungry and malnourished. Children are kept out of school and live under fear and uncertainty. The aged and women are more vulnerable, as they are under excruciating pain, thereby keeping our community under endless siege.”
The body of Aojoko k’Otukpo affirmed that failure to do the needful by Government, the people will be left with no other option than to resort to self defence as they can no longer fold their arms and be exterminated by the itinerant destroyers who seldom value heritage. “We can empower our civil vigilance structure for the defence of our homeland, since the current option of constructive negotiation and engagement we avail of is not producing plausible result. We may go the alternative way as a necessity to help ourselves.”
The body of Special Advisers called for urgent support of food items and medicare from Emergency Management Bodies, philanthropists and International Agencies to provide immediate succour to affected families and individuals to help in rebuilding the community to return the displaced to their ancestral homes.
