THE proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and not Fulani herdsmen are behind the insecurity in parts of the country, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has said.
The group blamed rising insecurity and rampant killings across the country on secessionists in the South-East.
Secretary-General, Alhasssan Saleh, said this in an interview with PUNCH yesterday.
According to Saleh, members of the Eastern Security Network, IPOB’s armed wing, were disguising as herders and attacking communities to leave the impression that Fulani herders were behind such attacks.
“All the noise and cries from Ekiti, Ondo, Zamfara, and South-Eastern states have not solved the security problem. Now that herders have left the South-East, are there still no problems there? Herders are not the country’s problem; they only represent a tiny part of the challenges we have,” he said.
Saleh acknowledged that herdsmen were trespassing on farmlands but said they were not responsible for most of the attacks and killings.
He said, “In reality, the crisis we have all over the country is not caused by the herders. Yes, the trespass is there, but that is not the main issue. There is a crisis in the land and everybody is looking for who to blame it on. People think the security crisis is caused by herders. But in reality, it is caused by IPOB secessionist elements. The new wave of terrorism in our hands is caused by secessionists, but the security agents don’t want to say the truth.
“IPOB soldiers wear herders’ clothing and attack communities. For instance, in Benue State, it is infighting that is causing crisis there. The people there are the ones killing themselves. There are no longer herdsmen in the state. The security people should arrest those killing people and let’s see if they are herders.”
He added, “There is nothing like foreign herders. We have secessionists in the South-East who want to return to Biafra and they are the ones causing insecurity in this country.
“The herders have moved back to the North because of the crisis in the South. Herders are the least of anyone’s problems. Any cattle you see in the South now are owned by Southern merchants, not Fulani herders.”
