The Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to herdsmen living or operating in Ogboli-Ohaja community, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State to leave the community.
The ultimatum follows the attack on a 32-year-old native of the community, Kenneth Ude in his farm on Monday.
Ude was working in his cassava farm near his residence when some herders allegedly stormed the place and started pulling the cassavas to feed their cows. His attempt to stop them from destroying his farmland landed him in trouble as he was subjected to machetes attacks and left with severe injuries.
He was rushed to Jideofor Medical hospital in Awgu after his attackers ran away thinking he was dead.
The attack created tension as some young men combed the bushes in search of the fleeing herdsmen.
Daily Sun gathered that some policemen from Awgu Division visited the hospital and took pictures of the wounded man.
MASSOB warned that there could be consequences should the herdsmen refuse to heed their ultimatum to leave the community.
Deputy National Leader of MASSOB, Chief Ikechukwu Ekwe, at a press conference in Enugu, yesterday, said the group would no longer tolerate the killings of innocent people by herdsmen in their farms in Igboland.
Ekwe said the group had been mobilised to actualise the 48-hour ultimatum.
“Enough is enough. We will no longer fold our hands and watch these people decimate us. We will fish them out wherever they may be in this community after 48 hours and handle them our own way.
“No more will we allow our people to be subjected to this level of maltreatment in their own soil. I do not think it is a crime for one to go to his farm,” Ekwe said.
He lamented that farmlands had been destroyed by herders and regretted that attempts to get authorities to call them to order had yielded no results.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe (ASP), said he was yet to be briefed on the development and assured he would contact the Division to know what actually happened.
