The Quest to Intimidate,Oppress And Silence Eastern Nigeria Will Not Succeed - IWA

Igbo Women Assembly, IWA,has strictly oppose the plan by the federal government of Nigeria to reserve grazing lands or
ranches for Fulani herdsmen in the South- east
geopolitical zone, stressing that
doing so, would be a tacit approval to the
herdsmen to continue killing Igbo men and rape
their wives and daughters. They said that the
only one sensible route to
the country’s
development was for Nigeria to be restructured
now, adding that, “intimidation will not work” as
the people of the zone “cannot be islamised”.
The women, who spoke in reaction to the latest
killing of farmers at Nimbo in Uzo Uwani Local
Government Area of Enugu State Monday,

decried the audacity the herdsmen have in killing
innocent Nigerians since President Muhammadu
Buhari assumed office about 10 months ago.
IWA made its stand known in a statement signed
by its National President, Chief (Mrs) Marie
Nwanyiwunwa Okwo, who also decried the extra
–judicial killing of members of the Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOB, by security agents
among other injustices meted out to the zone.
Okwo’s statement reads in part, “Not long ago,
76 people from Ugwuleshi in Awgu Local
Government Area of Enugu State, were arrested
by the Nigerian Army and taken to Umuahia,
which is another area of jurisdiction.
“Their offence was that they tried to defend their
farm land from being destroyed by the Fulani
herdsmen. It was through the intervention of the
Governor of Enugu State that those poor farmers
were later released on bail. “The extra-judicial
killing of the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB,
members between November 2015 and February
2016, in Port Harcourt, Aba and Onitsha is
condemned by IWA.

“This unresolved, cold-
blooded murder of Eastern youths, coupled with
the provocative brigandage of Fulani in recent
times may have probably emboldened the
Director of State Services, DSS, to publicly lay a
charge of abduction and murder on the IPOB for
effect.
“This accusation of killing and burying of five
northerners (in a shallow grave), if true, is wrong
and IWA condemns it, and would want the
culprits brought to early justice. “If, however, the
accusation is false, then, it must be said as
succinctly as possible that the DSS has taken a
very dangerous route that will not only lay the
foundation for eventual disintegration of Nigeria
but ensures that a needless bloodbath
accompanies the mayhem.
The DSS intends to prop up mutual suspicion
and spur ethnic hatred. “Our message to the
APC government is clear, short and precise. The
quest to intimidate, oppress and silence Eastern
Nigeria will not succeed. The dream of
conquering our people through hatred and threat
of genocide will not work. We cannot be
islamised.
There is only one sensible route open to Nigeria,
which is to restructure the country now.
Intimidation will not work; neither will false
accusations. CREATION OF GRAZING RESERVES
OR RANCHES “This is a time bomb waiting to
explode. IWA says NO to Grazing Reserves or
Ranches and grazing routes in Igbo land. Any
attempt to acquire, seize and (or) occupy our
ancestral lands for Fulani herdsmen to facilitate
the killings of our people and raping of our
women and daughters will be highly resisted.
FULANI ATTACK ON UZO UWANI LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE “On the
night of April 24, 2016, while villagers were
asleep, Fulani herdsmen struck, killing several
people, and setting churches and cars ablaze.
The DSS is yet to react to these heinous crimes.
“For how long must our people continue to
suffer in the hands of herdsmen? IWA calls on
President Muhammadu Buhari and the security
agencies to treat the Fulani menace with the
urgency it requires. We cannot continue to
tolerate these unprovoked attacks on our people.
It may lead to total, uncontrollable anarchy.”