South East governors kick against Miyetti Allah’s vigilance plan

The proposal by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to organise local vigilance groups in the Southeast may be as good as dead on arrival.

On the heels of the proposal’s rejection by various groups in the region, the governors have fired a new salvo to shoot down the bid, which they insisted would not work.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other groups had described the plan as preposterous, vowing to resist it.

President of MACBAN, represented by the secretary, Alhaji Baba Ngelzarma, had said the Fulani youth outfit, when established, would work closely with security agencies, neighbourhood watch or local vigilance groups to ensure the security of lives and property in all the communities.

South East Governors Forum (SEGF) made their view known through their chairman, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

In a statement yesterday signed by Umahi’s Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, the governors said that such idea would not be allowed to come to fruition.

Umahi described the allegation that some Southeast governors were okay with the idea as strange.

He said: “I find it extremely strange for anybody to think that non-locals in any part of the country, including Southeast, can be allowed to form vigilance outfit. The Miyetti Allah group may have made that suggestion, which I believe will never mean to form a vigilante in the Southeast. Whichever is the meaning, no governor will allow that.

“Southeast governors have their local vigilance groups working with security agencies; any such demand by MACBAN group is a joke and not acceptable. Governors of the zone are doing their best and we have no problems receiving insults from our people. It is the price of leadership.”

Meanwhile, the publisher of Alaroye newspaper, Alao Adebayo, has stressed the need for Yoruba leaders to collaborate to effectively tackle security challenges facing the Southwest.

Consequently, Alaroye Newspaper will hold a forum on Thursday, June 27 at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

Scheduled activities of the event include presentation of a Yoruba version of the book, Awo, an autobiography of the late Obafemi Awolowo, and discussions of the roles of traditional rulers, governments and the people of the Southwest to stop kidnapping and killings in the region.