By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- NIGER Delta youths under the auspices of Niger Delta Youth Congress, NDYC, have rejected cattle colony proposal in the region and also condemned Fulani herdsmen attacks on some communities in the region.

This was stated by the National Coordinator, NDYC, Comrade Israel Uwejeyan, while expressing fears that the trend of attacks threatens the unity and peace of the country if not holistically tackled by the government.

Uwejeyan who also have been an advocate of good governance said President Muhammadu Buhari should be proactive enough to curtail the menace that may escalate and ground the unity of the country following the grievances the attacks have generated in Taraba, Benue, Kaduna, and other parts of the country.

He said: “We condemn in very strong terms the recent attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen in some communities in the Niger Delta Region as it is a gross act of criminality, suspected terrorism and provocation, subject to a definite resistance by the youths in our communities.

“We therefore urgently call on the Federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari who fortunately is a Fulani man himself, traditional leaders, political leaders and Fulani Elders in the North to immediately call Fulani herdsmen and their leadership in the Niger Delta region and the nation at large to order as the nation is gradually drifting into a state of anarchy.

“We will not tolerate the continuous trespassing of farmlands and the constant violent attacks on our communities by Fulani herdsmen; though we are very hospitable and peace loving.

“We want to succinctly state that we are not in support of the establishment of the so called cattle colony in the Niger Delta region and every attempt to force it on us either politically, systematically or violently will be met with high resistance.”

He also called on youth in the region to remain calm and not to take laws into their hands but be vigilant over their lives and communities.

“Our farmlands have been degraded by activities of oil exploration and exploitation, so an invasion by Fulani cattle rearers on our farms makes it a double tragedy.

“We therefore urge our youths to remain peaceful and alert, and we also advice Fulani herdsmen and cattle owners in Nigeria to form cooperative societies in order to establish cattle ranches as the days of open grazing is no more globally acceptable”, he said.