The Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, Wednesday ordered Fulani herdsmen to vacate the zone forthwith.
The warning is contained in a statement issued after the OYC’s emergency meeting in Umuahia.
In a five-point communique signed by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, Secretary General and Engr Obinna Adibe the National Publicity secretary, the group said the operation of herdsmen in the zone had been banned.
It read, “The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide met and discussed extensively the recent killing by Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria and resolved as follows:
“That the activities of Fulani herdsmen and the Benue massacre is unfortunate and can cause another avoidable tension in the country, especially now the 2019 elections is around the corner.
“We condemned vehemently the terrorist attack of the Fulani herdsmen and call for self defense as a measure to halt it.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council worldwide has banned and proscribed the outlawed Fulani herdsmen in Igboland especially in the 95 LGs of South East and call on the Youths not to take laws into their hands but want the federal government to declare them a terrorist group.
“We hail the People’s Governor of Abia Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and the heroic stand of Governor of Anambra Willie Obiano for rejecting the cattle colonies in Abia and Anambra states.
“We know other Igbo Governors will follow the footsteps of their colleagues and reject these anti people’s policy.
“We are calling on the federal government to establish piggies colonies in Northern Nigeria to help feed our people over there.“We are calling on our people to be vigilant and report to security agents the activities of any suspected Fulani herdsmen.
“We issue this warning to all the Fulani herdsmen that they should vacate South East immediately or face the wrath of Igbo Youths and any attempt to ignore this warning, they have themselves to blame.
“We restate that all the activities of Fulani herdsmen have been proscribed and banned in South-East with immediate effect.”
