……Gov. Okowa Feels Unconcern, Gets 21 Days Ultimatum To Wake Up From Slumber
The Killing, Maiming, and Raping in Delta state by Fulani herdsmen which has remained unabated has metamorphosed into everyday slaughtering of Deltans like cows as the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa folds his arms and watch.
There was pandemonium and protest Friday following the alleged beheading of a commercial motorcycle rider identified as Udoka Ossai and killing of six indigenes of Ossissa community, in Ndokwa East Local government area of Delta State by suspected herdsmen.
HardReporters reliably learnt that the heinous crime which was committed around 6:30pm on that Thursday when the (Okada) rider had gone to drop a passenger at the Ossissa junction along the Ughelli/Asaba expressway and farmers who worked with the Ugo Farm were ambushed on their way home and killed.
“The herdsmen after beheading the Okada rider fled the area before community youths could arrive the scene.” a source told our correspondent.
The Friday protest which was championed by Ossissa youths, armed with dangerous weapons barricaded the Asaba-Kwale-Ughelli expressway with threats to revenge the incessant killing of their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and relations by the fulani herdsmen in the area.
Travelers were prevent from passing through the route resulting to serious gridlock while commuters made a U-turn to follow other routes leading to their various destinations.
In a chat with our correspondent, a youth who identified himself as Okolo, alleged that the incessant killing, maiming and raping of their people by the Fulani herdsmen was becoming something else and accused the state governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa of folding his arms while the herdsmen slaughter Deltans like cows.
“We can no longer watch helpless while they continue to kill our people like that. We are pained and disappointed at Okowa’s weakness as the armed herdsmen continue to slaughter our people.” the youth said.
Cross section of youths interviewed during the protest, blamed the state governor for not taking any drastic action that could curb the killings.
“Okowa always talk, calling on the federal government without taking any further actions like his Ekiti and Rivers States counterparts. Okowa is too weak and if nothing urgent is done, Delta state will turn to a theater of war.” one of the youths said.
Meanwhile, a human rights group, Committee for the Defense of Human Rights has directed Delta state Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa to wake up from his slumber and face reality on ground.
Irked by the continuous killing, raping and maiming of Deltans, the Delta state Chairman of Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Comrade Prince Kehinde Taiga, who described the governor as been weak, issued Okowa a 21 days ultimatum to send Fulani herdsmen from the state and failure to adherence will force the committee to cause serious uproar in the state even as it called on the state House of Assembly to enact a law to ban all herdsmen from the state following the continuous massacre of Deltans by the herdsmen.
According to the committee chairman, “The 21 days is to be used to address the issue amicably or else, we will mobilise to totally flush out all herdsmen out of the state. We will move into all local governments and kill all their cows and the herdsmen in the state. The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights is against the killings of our people. We are also calling on members of the state house of assembly to pass it into law that no herdsmen be found in this state again.
“Just like what happened in Ekiti state , they passed it into law and it is effective in the state. If he fails to do so, we will block the roads, we will move across the entire state, any herdsmen seen, any cow seen we will kill them. Our decision is that all Fulani herdsmen should be sent out of the state. They should be totally out of Delta state. That is our mind and we will stand by it.”
When our correspondent contacted the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim, he confirmed the killing of three persons, saying he had already deployed more officers to the area and normalcy had returned adding that his men were already on the hunt for the killers and assured the community that the killers would not go unpunished.
It would be recalled that this week, four policemen attached to the Abraka police station in Ethiope East local government area of Delta state were ambush and killed by fulani herdsmen.