Okorocha, Ikpeazu reveal killers of Hausa-Fulani herdsmen in forest
– Governors of Imo and Abia states blame miscreants for death of Hausa-Fulani herdsmen
– The pair meet to hold joint security meeting
– Vow to fish out perpetrators, to keep ensuring security of lives and properties
Facts have emerged on how miscreants killed the five Hausa-Fulani herdsmen who reportedly died in a forest along the borders of Imo and Abia states.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), this revelation was made by Governors Rochas Okorocha and Okezie Ipkeazu of Imo and Abia states respectively when they held a joint security council meeting in Umuahia, the Abia state capital on Monday, April 11.
In his argument, Okorocha stated that the miscreants were not out to attack any ethnic group as two Igbos lost their lives in the attack as well.
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This clarification by the governors came on the heels of the security operatives’ discovery of a mass grave where Hausa-Fulani residents abducted and murdered by suspected members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) were buried in Abia State.
Ikpeazu on his part, believes that kidnapping had become a recurring decimal in the area, adding “We condemn the killings as it concerns the five Fulani men that were abducted and assassinated in a forest.
“And we are all united in the fact that the particular forest and such other forests will be rid of criminals that use them as hideouts.”
Speaking further, he said: “It is our responsibility to protect lives and property of people that reside in Abia, as security agencies of both states have been mandated to cross the borders of both states to hunt down criminals.”
Okorocha also vowed to deal with the culprits of the killings, saying: “On the issue of the killing of five Fulani men that has caused tension, the culprits have been arrested and will be dealt with under the law as well as made to pay the ultimate price.
“Information reaching us reveal that it is not just five Fulani men as there are two corpses believed to be Igbos from the area, so it is not a direct attack on any ethnic group.”
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of the Conference of Minority Tribes of Nigeria (CMTN) on Monday, April 11, called on the Nigerian government to hold all leaders of IPOB responsible for killings of Hausa-Fulani in Abia state.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the secretary general of the group, Samson Babalola said the killings of five northern Nigerians as alleged by the Department of State Services (DSS), is a crime against humanity.
Describing the killings as a ‘blow below the belt’ incident threatening the cordial relationship between ethnic nationals in Nigeria, Babalola said the group is set to drag the leadership of the IPOB to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the alleged killings by the group.
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