Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, on Sunday warned Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore not to take as a joke, the ban on the movement of cows on foot from one place to the other in the South-East.

The Ohanaeze youth group sent this warning in response to a comment made by the national president of Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore, Abdullahi Bodejo.

Bodejo was said to have in a recent interview, faulted the South-East governors for placing a ban on herders moving cattle from community to community in the region.

“What South East Governors are doing show they are not good Nigerians. Good Nigerians are supposed to accept every Nigerian to do his business in any part of the country by whatever means of bringing the business there. We Fulani are not happy over the way some governors and the Ohanaeze in that region are reacting over the Fulani issues.

“The bush doesn’t belong to them. If you are a governor or whatever they can call you, the bush has been there. If they claim that they are farming, they are not farming on every part of the bush.

“For the Fulani, their business is inside the bush. The governor and the organisation don’t have any reason for that; if they did, let them open up or come up with the reason. They can’t say if they want to bring cows they must bring them in with vehicles,” Bodejo was quoted to have said.

But responding in a statement on Sunday, president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Okechukwu Isiguzoro said: “We wish to categorically state, that Fulani tribe is one of the few minorities ethnic groups in Nigeria, irrespective of their dominance over some ethnic groups in the North.

“Igbo are found in all the clans across 774 LGAs of Nigeria, and a future credible census will put to an end to the bogus claims of Abdullahi Bodejo.

“With Igbo all over Nigeria, we have never demanded lands from host Governors outside South East or use threats and hate speeches to acquire lands for our businesses.

“Rearing of cattle remains a private business and should adhere to the strict rules of South East Governors on the ban of pastoralists’ movement of cattle by foot.

“We wish to remind Miyetti Allah that the bushes, forests and farmlands belong to Igbo speaking people of South East and erring pastoralists caught up moving with cows from Community to Community from Monday 9/9/19, will taste the full Wrath of Igbo.

“Miyetti Allah should be held responsible for daring peace loving people of South East. South East Governors and Ohanaeze will never bring policies that will divide Nigeria.

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“The recent 1700 forests guards in Enugu are properly trained, and soon the nefarious activities of the murderous bandits and herdsmen masquerading as pastoralists will be put on check.

“With the recent ban on herdsmen by South East Governors, we have finalized arrangements for the five South East State houses of Assemblies to enact laws on ban on open grazing so that full weight of the law will descend on any erring pastoralists caught up trespassing from one Community to Community.

“Miyetti Allah Kautel Hole leadership should tender unreserved apology to the South East Governors or should be arrested for hate speech and provocative remarks capable of truncating peaceful environment in the South East.”