Tension in Asaba as Fulani jihadists, Youths give counter-threats on ban on open grazing

Following a threat letter giving Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 72 hours to withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing or risk Asaba, the state capital, being attacked, a youth group in the State, known as the Urhobo Youth Leaders’ Association (UYLA), has vowed to enforce the ban within 48 hours.

UYLA says it is poised to enforce the ban on open grazing over the recent Fulani jihadists’ threat to attack Delta State.

It asked Urhobo youths in the 24 kingdoms and other ethnic youth groups in Delta State to mobilise into the farmlands after the expiration of the ultimatum and evict the herdsmen.

The Acting President of the Association, Chief Anthony Onoriode Ofoni, in a statement said, “This is to inform the Fulanis of Usman dan fodio leadership that after 48 hours, open grazing of cattle by nomadic people will be forbidden in Delta Central Senatorial District. The safety of herdsmen and their cattle still in the region after the expiration of the notice will no longer be guaranteed because they have sacked some of our communities in Uwheru and killed many Abraka farmers and we viewed the threat as a big insult on all Deltans”.

Recall that confusion pervaded Asaba, Delta State, on Sunday, after residents discovered a threat letter, giving Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, a 72-hour ultimatum to withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing or risk the state capital being attacked.

The letter dated June 13, 2021 and titled “Fulani Jihadist Warning: An Open Message of two Paragraphs To Delta State” was said to have been posted in strategic locations in the state capital, including the fence of the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel at Infant Jesus Road in Asaba.

It could be recalled that governors of the 17 southern states at its meeting in Asaba recently banned open grazing of cattle in the region but the ban was rejected by the Federal Government and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, who claimed the decision of the governors violated the rights of herdsmen to free movement.

President Muhammadu Buhari also rejected the position of the governors and ordered for the restoration of the grazing routes across the country in an interview last Friday.

The unsigned letter, threatened that Fulani Jihadist fighters would attack Asaba and Governor Okowa’s Agbor Town if he failed to withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing in the state.

According to the letter: “this is to inform Delta state that the Fulani’s of Usman dan fodio leadership, shall do everything it can to uphold the legacy of our heritage of open grazing for we are nomadic people from origination and shall never negotiate the ownership of Nigeria and West Africa and Sub-Sahara.

“We hereby demand the governor of Delta state to immediately withdraw is early stand for the call to barn open grazing in 17 regions in not less than 72hours from the above date and also, withdraw his position as the leading voice for the governors, as no occurrence we don’t have the first-hand information, even before the hosting of the South-South, South-West and South-South governors meeting in Asaba.

“Failure to adhere to this demand for being the host of the 17 governors, Delta state, most likely the city of Asaba and Agbor, shall encounter severe consequences than that of Bornu, Kebbi, Kastina, Kaduna, Enugu, Benue, Oyo and many more that will not respect the Fulani’s heritage, as we take responsibility for the detonate explosive uncovered in the state capital secretariat, which should  serve as warning to the Delta state government for what is to come, should  the governor fail to abide to our demand.

“We highly advice all Fulani’s and Northerners, including the security personnel to leave Delta state as soon as possible for the wind of our action is now present in the land, for failure of the governor to adhere to our call, this shall leave us with no choice,” the letter warned.

When contacted, Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe confirmed to have seen the letter, saying the police are putting measures in place to avert any possible breakdown of law and order in the state capital and across the state.

According to him, “the author of the letter failed to sign and unmasked his or her identity. As far as I am concerned, it may be political. The painful part of it is that, they may have used indigenes to paste the purported letter across the state capital.”

On his part, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Delta State, Olisa Ifejuka said state government had not received any such letter but if in any case they receive it, the government will react
appropriately.

▪︎ Additional reports by Daily Independent