₦airaland Forum

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Enugu State Chapter has lampooned those inciting the students and youths of the state to stage reprisal attack on the Fulani herdsmen over the recent carnage in the state, saying that it is counter productive and might lead to the endangering of lives of youths and students in the state. He added that such revenge mission would do the Igbo more harm than good.

There have been public outcries, especially on the social media, inciting the students and youths of Enugu State to take laws into their hands and retaliate the attack on Ndiagu Attakwu community by suspected herdsmen, which left two dead and three persons injured.

Reacting to the development, the student union in a statement jointly signed by the State Chairman of NANS, Comrade Chidi Ilogebe and its South East and South South PRO, Comrade Victor Ezenagu, described such comments as “careless, inciting and inimical to the calculated efforts being made by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to decisively resolve the issue in line with the oath of office he swore to uphold.”They said that unlike in Ekiti State, the population of Igbo living in the northern parts of the country is enormous, allaying fears that any unlawful action against the herdsmen in retaliation may likely put the Igbo in the north at the receiving end.On the call by some Igbo groups for the Enugu Governor to emulate Gov. Ayo Fayose’s actions against the herdsmen, the students said that no true Igbo leader would support any act that could lead to bloodshed or undermine the peace and unity of the country.

They also stated that Gov. Ugwuanyi as a responsible leader believes in due process and constitutional way of addressing issues of this nature and should not be pushed to instigate the people of the state to take laws into their hands, as that is certainly not the best option under a democratic setting.

The students who expressed confidence in the ability of the state government to ensure that justice was done on the matter, advised the governor to summon a town hall meeting with the relevant stakeholders to sensitize the people and chart a new course for the safety of lives and property.They therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies to step up actions to put an end to the dastardly acts of the herdsmen in the overall interest of the country.