Youths in the Southeast under the auspices of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders(COSEYL), have given the gun wielding assailants hiding under the cover of herdsmen occupying Obasa Assa Community forest in the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State 24 hours to vacate the area with immediate effect.
The assailants had invaded the community on Thursday, destroying farmlands and crops.
But, in a statement issued on Saturday by the President General, Hon. Goodluck Ibem, COSEYL lamented that the unlawful occupation and destruction of farmlands in the community by Fulani herdsmen with their cattle had brought great famine on the people as their crops have been eaten up by the cows while also sending the community parking from their ancestral homes and community.
“The issue of open grazing have been banned long time ago and anyone or group of persons still involved is such outdated practice is on a wicked mission of taking the ancestral lands of the community they are staying.
“The cattle they are moving around with is just a smokescreen to cover their real wicked intentions.
“What are those terrorists parading as Fulani herdsmen doing with AK47 riffle and other dangerous weapons if not to kill, rape and sack the community they are staying. This madness must stop forthwith.
“We demand that the Department of State Security,DSS, should immediately arrest those terrorists with AK47 riffles parading as Fulani herdsmen in Obosa Assa Community and we demand for payment of damages for crops and farmlands destroyed by those cows.
“We give those terrorists parading as Fulani herdsmen 48 hours to vacate the community immediately and never try or think to come back.
“We warn that this should be the last time we will hear such news that some herdsmen have taken over a community in Igboland. Enough said!”, the statement concluded.
