 |
| UPU PG, Olorogun Moses Taiga |
The President General of Urhobo Progress Union, Olorogun Moses Taiga, has raised an alarm over the alleged presence of over 300 herdsmen in an abandoned ultra-modern market between Otovwodo and Ogor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, Olorogun Taiga said: “There are fears that the number of the herdsmen might double in no time. Now my people live in perpetual anxiety and trepidation.”
He called “on President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the military authorities to dislodge these illegal occupants and hoodlums immediately before they wreck havoc.”
According to him, “the Urhobos are peace-loving people. What happened in Benue, where 73 people were killed must not happen in Urhobo land or any other place, for that matter, again in Nigeria.”
The UPU PG also lamented “incessant attacks of Urhobo people by Fulani herdsmen in their own towns and villages for some time now. Our men are being killed and our wives and daughters are being raped. The attacks are going on in Abraka Kingdom, Uwheru Kingdom, Ovwor town in Olomu, Ughelli South LGA and many other towns and villages in Urhoboland.
“About two weeks ago, they struck in Ovwor, attacking three men and raping one woman. Ironically one of the men they attacked is a butcher going to his place of work very early in the morning. These herdsmen are very daring and callous. Even a butcher, who patronises them by buying their cows, is not spared of the attacks.”
Responding to a question on whether Urhobos should take up arms and defend themselves, Taiga said it is the responsibility of government to defend the citizens and that is why he is calling on the government to rise up to its responsibility.
He said he will not tell the Urhobos to take up arms, “but the government must realize that we are standing on a dangerous precipice.”
Olorogun Taiga also used the opportunity to “inform the federal government that the Urhobo Nation is against the proposed cattle colony and the Urhobos will not cede an inch of their land for the purpose of establishing a cattle colony.
‘Cattle rearing is a private matter and individuals should make their private arrangement, just as crop farmers do, in that regard. Has government established cassava, yam, cocoa or plantain “colonies?” Also, no “colonies” have been established for poultry farmers throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Why the special arrangement for cattle farmers? They should sort out themselves peacefully and stop behaving like an army of occupation.
Taiga also reiterated the “earlier stand of the Urhobo people for a return to the 1960 constitution, where regions managed their resources and only contributed a percentage to the federal government.
“That is one of the ways to achieve lasting peace in Nigeria. It will also bring back the healthy competition among regions, which helped to speed up growth and development in the 60s.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment