Senate orders army, police, DSS to end killings in Enugu by Fulani herders

By Ihechukwu Sunday

The Senate has given a marching orders to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS) and the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS), to take immediate step to end the killing by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The order which was unanimously handed down to the heads of the security agencies by the Senate yesterday, followed a motion moved by the senator representing Enugu North, Okey Ezea.
Sen Ezea had moved a motion which drew the attention of the Senate to the recent carnage in Nimbo, a town in Uzo-Uwani LGA, where four persons were murdered by suspected Fulani herdsmen, urging his colleagues to condemn the dastardly act and take measures to forestall future occurrences.
He also called on the Senate to pass a resolution directing the law enforcement agents to redouble their efforts in apprehending the fleeing assailants.
He also urged the Senate to direct the heads of the nation’s security agencies to urgently establish more police and military presence in the area.
Following the motion, the Senate unanimously resolved that the IGP, the COAS and the DG DSS should investigate, arrest and prosecute the criminal elements terrorising the local government.
The Senate also urged the security chiefs to establish police and military presence in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area as a way putting a permanent stop to the incessant killings.
It also mandated the Senate committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs, and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance with the resolution of the Senate and proffer other lasting solutions.
As a means of cushioning the effects of the killings on the people, the senate equally urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the victims of the killings.
Lately, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area has been in the news over several killings both in Adani and Nimbo communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen. The killings, which evoked memories of a similar incident in 2016 when more than 46 persons were killed in the same community, have continued unabated despite promises by the state and the Federal Governments to find a lasting solutions to the problem.
There is currently growing tension in the local government, leading to the fear of food shortages by many who depend on the fertile land in the area for their businesses and feeding.
The prevailing fear is that if the crises are allowed to fester, many parts of the country, particularly the south East will experience acute food shortages, since farmers will be too afraid to go to their farms.