The Niger Delta Youths Coalition (NDYC) on Thursday condemned the dastardlyย killing inย Ohali-Eluย town in Rivers Stateย allegedly perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen.
ย The organisation also called on Ms Ankio Briggsย to hurriedly lead aย protest to condemn the attack.
The herdsmen who were in the midst of the indigenes of the town were said to have unleashed terror on the people following clash over grazing land in the community, an action which left a pastor and 20 others dead.
Ankioย Briggs, an indigene of the state,ย had earlier criticized theBayelsaย State Government over its decision to create a grazing reserve for the Fulani herdsmen in the state as a logical step to nip in the bud such rampant clashes between herdsmen and the locals across the country.
But the group in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesman, Matthewย Fobiri, said it must be clear to Ms Briggs by now that the decision of theย Bayelsaย State Government to restrict the herdsmen to the palm area in the state was to avoid the kind of killings which took place inย Ohali-Eluย in Rivers State.
He said, “Inย the light of the terrible fate that has befallenย the Rivers community withย many deaths recorded in just one attackโ,ย Ankioย Briggs owed the Bayelsa State governmentย an apology for kicking against a proactive measure put in place to check any form of security breachย that may lead to loss of lives as was the case in Rivers.
The group opined that the action ofย Bayelsaย State Government must be commended and called on the Rivers State Government to adopt same so as toย forestall recurrence andย preempt herdsmen/farmersโ clashes as seen in many other states including that ofย neighbouringย Delta State โwhere people have been killed by Fulani herdsmen in the last couple of monthsโ.
โInterestingly and in true reflection of the wisdom behind the step by theย Bayelsaย State Government, its decision to create a reserved grazing area for herdsmen, contrary to Msย AnkioBriggsโ insensitive criticisms, has been well applauded by well meaning Nigerians across differentย socio-cultural strata. Itโs clearly a responsible decision by a responsible leadershipโ, it stated.
