Lorine Emenike
The Apex Pan Social Cultural Grassroot Organization in the South-South, The Mangrove People Leadership Initiative MAPLI, has issued a 21-days ultimatum to all herdsmen operating in the region to vacate or face the full wrath of the people.
The organization in a communiqué issued at the end of one-day south south grassroot extraordinary conference at the weekend said the ultimatum was necessitated due to the nefarious and hydra-headed activities of the herdsmen against the people of the region.
The communiqué which was read by the former speaker Cross Rivers State House of Assembly member and the secretary of the Mangrove People Leadership Initiative, Chief Manwa Ofegube also rejected the Ruga settlement in any part of the south south region.
They also called on the APC-led federal government, as a matter of equity and justice, to constitute the board of the NDDC to entrench sustainable development in the region.
“Following the continues federal government insensitivity and height of callousness towards the plight of the people of the south south region on the various issues of insecurity and other related challenges affecting the lives and social-economic productivity of the people of the Niger Delta community, the attention of the Mangrove People Leadership Initiative has been drawn to the various threats to the lives and properties of the people of the south south and Niger Delta at large, as well as the barbaric activities of the herdsmen in raping our women.
“We refuse to become slaves in our region and therefore, the herdsmen operating in the south south region are hereby given 21 days ultimatum to leave the whole of the south south region with effect from the 22nd May 2021”
The communiqué appealed to the governors of the six southern states to redouble effort in the fight against insecurity in the region as well as reactivate and restructure existing laws to enforce the proposed grazing security acts.
The secretary-general of the Mangrove People Leadership Initiative, chief Dick Harry while speaking to newsmen at the sideline of the conference called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the development of the south-south region.
Chief Harry who decried the politicization of the insecurity in the country called on the south-south governors to liaise with their various state assemblies to enact laws for criminalizing open grazing by herdsmen to reduce insecurity being experienced in the region.
“We are here today, in the respect of the insecurity threats in our lives, stand to take some key decision to save the lives of our people.
“We discovered that insecurity by the herdsmen who has invaded our forest, our farm lands is a security threat to our people. And we the people of the south south are too big a fish to be caught by a child’s hook, so we are not ready to face all these things.
“If you build a house today, you will put security to guide you. What about the common man? So we have searched around and we say the federal government is playing politics with security hence they are not ready to fight insecurity.
“We have no other choice but to protect our own land and protect ourselves. We strongly believe with the southern governors the various Houses of Assembly in the southern states to enact a law that will take care of this very declaration”
Prominent leaders from all six southern states of the federation were all fully represented at the conference.
