Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state yesterday outlawed the bearing of sophisticated weapons like including AK-47 rifles by Fulani herdsmen; and ordered security agents to seize the cattle belonging to any herdsmen flouting the ban and prosecute the owners.
Addressing a tripartite meeting of leaders of the Fulani community in the state, the traditional rulers of agrarian communities and the state government to fashion out a proactive response to the menace of herdsmen Thursday night at the Governors Lodge, Amawbia, Obiano said I don't want anybody to take laws into their hands.
That is why we set up this committee and we have agreed that compensation should be paid for any losses on either side. That is the way to co-exist in a multi-ethnic and diverse society.
More importantly, we agreed at the Security Council Meeting that we will not allow herdsmen to carry arms. That is a clear directive from Abuja. Herdsmen are not supposed to bear arms. Please, if you see any herdsmen with AK-47, report them early to the police so that they can be picked up.
revealed that there were suspicious movements in some parts of the state that were being carefully monitored to ensure that there was no immediate threat to the security of the state.But these Fulani herdsmen that carry AK-47 rifles are worrisome.
We don't want what happened in Enugu to happen here but if the three options we are proposing fail, we are ready to defend ourselves. We don't want it to get to that point.
We don't want anything to destroy the beautiful relationship that has existed between Igbos and Fulanis and other Nigerian tribes. We want Anambra to be a shining example, he declared.
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