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By Austin Oyibode

Disturbed by the continuous massacre of Deltans by terrorist Fulani herdsmen, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) has issued a 21-day-ultimatum to Delta state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to address the issue with an amicable solution, insisting that failure to address the horrendous activities of the Fulani herdsmen, there will be uproar across the state at the expiration of the ultimatum.

Delta state, beside Benue state, has become a hotbed for Fulani herdsmen massacre of Deltans as they go about killing farmers with impunity.

On Thursday, May 11, 2017, NAIJ.com reported that a youth, who the state police public relations officer, Andrew Aniamaka, identified as Udoka Ossai, was allegedly murdered by the Fulani herdsmen. However, in the early hours of Friday, reports said no fewer than six people were killed in the rural community of Ossissa of Ndokwa East Local Government Areas of the state.

The development led to youths of the community barricading the expressway leading from Asaba to Ughelli, searching for Fulani herdsmen and preventing free flow of vehicular movements along the road. Security agents were said to have been drafted to the area to quell the uprising.

In a related development, NAIJ.com reported a fierce battle between police officers and Fulani herdsmen following the alleged killing of some police officers by the herdsmen in Abraka-Eku area in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta state.

Prior to these killings and fierce battles, there have been numerous killings and battles in Abraka, Ughelli and Ndokwa areas of the state.

A few days back, the state governor, and commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, expressed unhappiness over the killings of Deltans by the Fulani herdsmen across the upland areas, especially in Delta Central and Ndokwa areas of the volatile Delta state.

But groups in Delta are of the view that the state government is being slow in handling the issue of the Fulani herdsmen massacre of Deltans, consequent upon which they have called on the governor to, as a matter of urgency, address the issue or face mass action from the people.

Chairman of Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Comrade Prince Kehinde Taiga, told NAIJ.com that his committee is giving Governor Okowa 21 days to drive the Fulani herdsmen from the state, noting that if the governor fails to do so, his committee would mobilise the masses of Delta people to stage action against the government and would apply all means within its ability to comb recognize forests and kill the cows in the state.

Prince Taiga said: “For the killing of Delta people, I want to give the governor 21 days to address the matter or we will carry cutlass and battle axe to defy all environmental laws to make sure that all the cows are killed.

“The 21 days is to be used to address the issue amicably or else, we will mobilise to totally flush out all herdsmen out of the state. We will move into all local governments and kill all their cows in the state.

“The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights is against the killings of our people. We are also calling on members of the state house of assembly to pass it into law that no herdsmen be found in this state again.

“Just like what happened in Ekiti State, they passed it into law and it is effective in the state. If he fails to do so, we will block the roads, we will move across the entire state, any cow seen we will kill them. Our decision is that all Fulani herdsmen should be sent out of the state. They should be totally sent out of Delta state. That is our mind and we will stand by it.”

• Source: Naij.com