A socio-cultural organization, Igbo National Union-Worldwide (INU-W), has called on Igbo people to take defensive measures against what they described as persistent attacks by terrorists disguised as herdsmen across the southeastern region.
According to the group, these attacks have escalated since 2015, resulting in destroyed farmlands, displaced farmers, and numerous casualties, with allegedly inadequate response from security forces.
The call was made during a meeting in Enugu State by INU-W's National President, Ngozi Ogbomor, and Administrative Secretary, Mazi Austin-Mary Ndukwu.
Existential Threat to Igbo Communities
The organization expressed grave concern over what they termed "a dubiously calculated destructive agenda geared to exterminate the Igbo race," highlighting the deteriorating security situation as an existential threat to Igbo communities.
"It is on this premise that Ndigbo have every right to defend and protect themselves and their land in the face of unprovoked attacks by strange elements. And we must do so with no further delay," Ogbomor stated.
The group emphasized that self-defense is a natural and inalienable right enshrined in universal human rights principles and Nigeria's constitution.
Call for Proactive Security Measures
INU-W issued a stern warning to perpetrators of violence: "To those attacking our people with such savagery and brutish force, let them be reminded that we can no longer fold our hands and watch them ravage our people and our land, as no single entity can lay claim to monopoly of violence."
The organization proposed several security measures, including:
Establishment of vigilante groups across Igbo communities
Conducting a proper census to identify strangers within communities
Implementing routine surveillance to monitor and prevent incursions
This development comes amid growing concerns about farmer-herder conflicts across Nigeria, which have claimed thousands of lives and displaced numerous communities in recent years.
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