I traveled to Urualla this last week and heard the most terrible news of my life. It's terrible for me because I never thought it can come this close to me. Didn't they say that whatever goes around comes around.
When you say it won't reach me, you might be surprised what happened next. We you keep silent, cries of mourning might break it for you.
Umuago is one of the four large towns in the ancient city of Urualla. The story has it that Fulani herdsmen entered the compound of one Indigene living abroad with their cows. The cows where eating up everything cultivated in the said compound. When one woman saw them, she started shouting and the Fulani herdsmen gave her a hot pursuit. If not that the youths came out, that day would have been something else.
Another news broke that the same herdsmen came and camped in St Andrews Catholic Church Ezemazu Urualla with their cows. They stayed and never looked like they have plans of leaving anytime soon. The irritated parishioners went to their parish priest to report. The priest told them how these same herdsmen went to a church in Benue and killed two Catholic priests celebrating Holy Mass for their 17 parishioners. The parishioners were all killed and herdsmen took over the Church shooting videos with vestments. He asked his parishioners to leave them. They will go when they are tired of staying, he concluded.
These things are not good signs at all. The boldness of Fulani herdsmen draws its strength from a President whose actions have encouraged them in all their terror activities in the country.
That this thing is happening in Imo state and in Urualla is very unfortunate. Another person told me not quite long ago that the way Fulani herdsmen are entering Imo State is fearful. He categorically said he is afraid. The governor who should be on the forefront in making sure nothing happens to his subjects will rather keep quiet and do nothing because of his ambition to take over from Buhari come 2023. What makes him believe that he or any Igbo will take over leadership come 2023 is what I don't understand. Didn't news say that Governor Rochas Okorocha was conspicuously absent in a meeting recently held by South East Governors, where they banned the Fulani herdsmen from moving cattle on foot in South East.
The way the leadership in Imo state is doing as regard to Fulani herdsmen should worry every Imo citizens and all Ndi Igbo at large. I was in Owerri last month. What I saw was very surprising. That same medication called Lanji is still being sold in Imo State capital with their loud speakers. The last time they invaded South East with that medicine, alarm was raised and they disappeared from Onitsha and other places. Who would have known that they retired to Owerri. That people are buying that medicine and drinking without knowing what the northerner selling that thing used in preparing it makes me wonder how careless some Ndi Igbo can be.
Some time ago in Sri Lanka, Muslims were minority why Buddhists where in the majority. Today Muslims almost equals the Buddhist. How did this happen? It was said that Muslim countries started using money to propagate Islam in Sri Lanka. People struggling were given money and made to convert to Islam. They were encouraged to go into restaurant business. It was said that some owners of Restaurants belonging to Muslims were caught using some substances capable of reducing fertility on their customers whom are Buddhist. This sparked up violence there in 2017. This brings me to the medicine called Lanji that is still on sale in Owerri, Imo State capital. Recall that in 2017, after Nigeria military went to Aba and Umuahia and killed hundreds of Igbo youths, in what they called Operation Python Dance II, they immediately moved into free immunization of our children on an undisclosed disease. Didn't our children scale school fences and ran home? Didn't parents, especially mothers ran to schools to pick their children wearing bra? Why are our people suddenly this careless that some northerner will send Hausa boys with large speakers to sell one yellow drug they said is capable of curing malaria and at the same time increases fertility in men. What is wrong with our people.
If our governors are not ready to protect us, we should at least defend ourselves. The swiftness our governors used in stopping Okada business, should be applied to Fulani herdsmen still going about with their cattle in South East. Enough is enough. I am saying this for everybody to know that someone pointed these things out before it starts to happen.
You might have helped to avert genocide and blood bath if you are too generous to share this article.
God bless Ndi Igbo
Elochukwu Nicholas Ohagi is a philosopher, Teacher and Activist writing from the Land of the Rising Sun.
