Ohanaeze rallies Ndigbo against proposed cattle colonies

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, called on all Igbo-speaking states to reject the proposed cattle colonies in the country.

Rising from its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, Ohanaeze Ndigbo also urged governments of Igbo-speaking states to pass the anti-grazing laws to protect the people from further killings and harassment by marauding herdsmen.

A statement from the organization by its President General, Nnia Nwodo, rejected the idea of colony, which it said would amount to forced territorial occupation.

Ohanaeze said that the population density per square kilometer in Igboland was very high and that many Igbo families were finding it difficult to get land to build their homes and farm.

It remarked that the concept of colony was alien to Ndigbo and was therefore unacceptable to the people.

The organization observed that Fulani herdsmen had co-existed with their Igbo host communities peacefully until recently when marauding herdsmen started killing and harassing their benevolent host without provocation thereby driving fear and suspicion into the people.

It wondered why the nefarious activities and killings by the Fulani herdsmen still occur across the land in spite of the efforts by the Federal Government, adding that the situation does not speak well for the unity of the country.