Some Fulani herdsmen work for Igbo businessmen – Enugu monarch reveals
– The recent attacks on communities by Fulani herdsmen has been a major topic for discussion in Nigeria
– A traditional ruler in Enugu state has contributed his own quota to the discussion
– He revealed that some of the herdsmen cows are owned by Igbo businessmen
The traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike community in Enugu state, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu has opened up on the activities of Fulani herdsmen in his community and other surrounding communities.
In an interview with New Telegraph newspaper, the monarch revealed that some owners of the cows taken care of by Fulani herdsmen are Igbos.
Igwe Ugwu with a senior official of the FRSC at a recent function in his palace
He also revealed that some notable individuals in government got a lot of cow as royalties.
READ ALSO: Food scarcity imminent in Nigeria over constant Fulani herdsmen attacks
The monarch also talked about his subjects’ relationship with Fulani herdsmen even as he traced their interactions to the Fulani community to decades.
His words: ”In my own place, I have Fulanis living in my kingdom for over 20 years, and we don’t have any problem with them. At every ceremony, they come inside the community to enjoy with us. If they are having naming ceremony, some of our boys will join them.
”The only problem we have which is internal is damaging crops and I have not seen any one of them damaging crops, but will start quarrelling or claiming that they will fight, no. Rather they will start begging, if they can pay for what has been damaged, and so on.
”But those coming from the outside told me that there are those they call shua shua people or Shuwa Arab that used to come from Suddan, from Chad and from different countries.
”And they are in this country. Some of them steal cows and because some of them will even mix with Fulanis and steal their cow. But those people used to move in the night from 9pm to 5am. They keep moving in the bush damaging plants.
”And when they damage those things, some will believe it is still the Fulanis living in that area that damaged it. And that is the reason when there was a problem at Awgu, those people at Awgu, most of them came into our place in good numbers to stay.”
Read Igwe Ugwu’s full interview here.
READ ALSO: Fulani herdsmen attacks inciting religious crisis, Catholic Archbishop warns
Fulani herdsmen recently struck in Ukpabi Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu state, killing scores of local residents.
Not done, the herders launched a fresh attack in Umuchigbo community days after the initial attack, raising fears that Nigerian security agencies cannot contain them.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive chat with NAIJ.com, the traditional ruler of Ukpabi Nimbo, His Royal Highness, John Akor revealed that the herdsmen also raped the women in the community.
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