As Nigerians continue to decry the widespread killings of innocent people by Fulani herdsmen, the Ijaw youths have made a new assertion on the matter.
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Umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Worldwide, on Wednesday said terrorists not Fulani herdsmen were responsible for the killings of people in remote communities across the country.
IYC in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, condemned the “slaughtering” of innocent Nigerians in middle belt, Southwest and recently in Enugu State, Southeast, describing it as barbaric.
Omare said the traditional Fulani herdsmen have been conducting their business peacefully for decades without resorting to killing of their neighbours.
He said the sponsored attacks could be a plot by disgruntled persons to pit one ethnic group against the other so as to destabilise the country.
He said: “We are of the view that the attacks are being carried out by terrorists who are disguising themselves as Fulani herdsmen.
“The traditional Fulani herdsmen have been grazing their cattle for decades in different parts of the country without such attacks until recently when the attacks became persistent."
Omare however, frowned on what he described as suspicious and criminal silence of the Federal Government on the matter.
He wondered why the Presidency vowed to deal with vandals of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region as common criminals while keeping mute on attacks threatening the sovereignty of the country.