IPOB tackles Miyetti Allah over refusal to obey ban on cattle movement in S/East

Proscribed secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Wednesday blasted the Miyetti Allah Hire socio-cultural organization for disobeying the ban on movement of cattle by foot in the South East.

IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful in a statement said the group was ready for the Herdsmen.

He was reacting to media statement credited to National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore socio-cultural organisation, Abdullahi Bodejo who stated that herdsmen will not obey the ban imposed by SouthEast Governors.

The Governors had banned movement of cattle on foot in the region following growing insecurity in the region as underlined by increase in rate of kidnapping, rape and armed robbery in the zone which was blamed on the activities of the herdsmen.

Announcing the ban after a meeting in Enugu, the governors said movement of cattle should be done only by vehicles within the region.

But Mr Bodejo in a recent media report said the herdsmen will only obey the directive if the governors will provide the vehicles for transportation of the cattles.

“All these small, small laws, remember Nigeria has one constitution. The Nigerian Constitution is already guiding us on how we can do our business. You can go to Southwest, Southeast, South-South, etc and do your business without violating the constitution”.

“These governors should not tell us how to do our business or how to move our cows. They have money, so if they want us to be using vehicles to bring our cows, there is no problem, so long as they would be the ones to provide the trucks free of charge to us”

“It is part of the politics; no tribe can say this tribe or the other tribe cannot do businesses in their area”, Mr Bodejo was quoted to have said.

But IPOB in a swift reaction described the statement as an unguarded threat to the people of the SouthEast.

“It has come to the knowledge and attention of the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) the recent unguarded threat by the leadership of Miyetti Allah against Biafrans over their resumption of the illegal terror induced movement of cattle through farms and villages in Biafraland”.

“This is not the first time representatives of the caliphate through their various mouthpiece have threatened the lives of peaceful law abiding citizens of Biafra. It happened with their treasonous quit notice and have continued through Ango Abdulahi et al culminating in this abominable utterance by the leadership of Miyetti Allah”, wrote Mr Powerful.

Continuing the IPOB spokesman said: “We IPOB do not blame Miyetti Allah but the caliphate imposed spineless and compromised political leaders that occupy government houses across our land”.

“Having sensed the fear, impotence and political hopelessness of these quislings that call themselves governors in the East, Miyetti Allah (which is the glorified name for Herdsmen) have been emboldened to continue issuing threats of further bloodshed if their demands are not met”.

“The most shocking of all is that ordinary citizens who for years now have been at the receiving end of Herdsmen terror and savagery appear transfixed with fear and have wimpishly surrendered their fate to murderous cattle herders from God knows where”

The IPOB spokesman threatened that his group will use any and every available means at its disposal to defend the people of the region from the herdsmen.

He said: “Miyetti Allah along with their foot soldiers in the Nigerian army must understand that their deal with south east governors is not applicable to IPOB”.

“The same way IPOB today is dedicated to the defence of Ebonyi State and Anambra West before it, is how every inch of Biafran territory will be defended. Our ongoing resistance in Ebonyi is testament to this very fact”.

“South-East political leadership may have surrendered our land but we IPOB will never and can never contemplate such. We will not surrender the land of our ancestors to this invading bloodthirsty hoarde from the Sahel no matter the political package they wrapped it under”.

“IPOB is ready for these terrorists in whatever guise they might use to come into our land. One thing is certain, Miyetti Allah with their support and sponsorship from federal government will not succeed no matter what they do”.

“Miyetti Allah and their sponsors are the real terrorists and shall remain so in our eyes. Their strategy of threats and terror cannot work with us. They cannot succeed because IPOB is here on the ground and meeting them head-on. Ruga settlement nonsense is dead in our land and cannot be imposed on us”, Powerful said.