Priest’s Murder: Ohanaeze Youths Plan Killer Herdsmen’s Eviction From Forests
Image: Punch
ENUGU (PUNCH) -- The youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Saturday said it would intensify efforts to flush out killer herdsmen from the forests in all the 95 local government areas in the South East.
The move, according to the President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, is necessitated by the killing of a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Paul Offu, by suspected herdsmen along the Ihe-Agbudu Road in Agwu LGA of Enugu State on August 1.
He said plans were allegedly underway to kill more church leaders in the South East, urging that steps be taken to avert the impending negative development.
To address the situation, Isiguzoro urged Igbo youths, all Biafra agitators and volunteer security groups to enter the forests to flush out killer herdsmen in the South East.
He said, “We read with rude shock the murder of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Paul Offu, who was shot dead by hoodlums suspected to be the notorious and murderous Fulani herdsmen along Ihe-Agbudu Road in Agwu LGA on August 1, 2019. This is a calculated but provocative action with evil intent aimed at rubbishing the proposed establishment of forest guards and Community Neighbourhood Watch by the South East governors.
“With the rising tensions in Southern Nigeria, it is time for us to flush out all the remnants of killer herdsmen hiding in all the forestry reserve areas across the 95 LGAs of South East. This is a Clarion call on Igbo youths, all Biafra agitators and volunteer groups to do the needful across the bushes and forests in search of the killer herdsmen in the South East in bid to flush them out.
“These volunteer youths will serve as temporary Forestry Guardsmen until we pressurise the South East governors to fund them. Their mandate will be to take decisive actions against any armed herdsman found and should be handed over to security agents.”
The Ohanaeze youths also called on the federal government, especially the office of the Vice President, to protect Christians all over the country, adding that there might be deliberate plans to unleash terror on the church leaders in Southern Nigeria.
He also warned that there might soon be revolt along religious and ethnic lines in the country, adding that there was the need to beef up security around churches nationwide.
He also called for the unconditional release of the abducted ministers of the Redeemed Christian Church of God who were waylaid along the Ijebu-Ode axis of the Sagamu-Benin highway while on their way to attend a church conference at the RCCG Camp.
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