The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday vehemently opposed the call by President Bola Tinubu for governors to donate lands for grazing as a measure to address the farmer-herders’ conflicts.
In a swift response to Tinubu’s suggestion, IPOB vowed that it would never permit any of the South East governors to relinquish Igbo ancestral lands for grazing purpose in a bid to resolve the crisis.
In a statement issued by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group asserted that the call constitutes an affront to the indigenous peoples who have suffered in the hands of marauding Fulani herdsmen.
Powerful emphasized that IPOB would staunchly oppose any attempt to cede or sell any part of their ancestral land to “Fulani terrorists and bandits.”
“President Bola Tinubu’s call for state governors to provide land for Fulani ranching is reckless and emboldens herdsmen terrorists,” Powerful stated while condemning the suggestion as a betrayal of the victims of the herders’ violence.
Furthermore, IPOB emphasized that the Biafra region lacks sufficient land for its own farming and livestock activities, let alone accommodating herders.
The group urged Tinubu to reconsider his stance, suggesting that if any land were to be ceded, it should be in the North where vast tracts of land are available.
“The Biafra territory is a no-go area for Fulani herdsmen and bandits,” the statement declared, urging other regions to reject Tinubu’s purported “Fulanization agenda.”
The group further called on the people of the South West and Middle Belt to “unite against any form of Fulani occupation, whether through RUGA settlements or ranching initiatives.” (Leadership)
