“We find it ridiculous, insulting,
offensive, unacceptable, unimaginable and disgusting that strangers we took in
and accommodated as part of us, and as fellow Nigerians, should turn around to
become our tormentors and killers? God forbid. We will no longer condone this.”
The above are expressions of the pain that
the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) feel about the killings of their people in
Agadama Town and other villages in Uwheru Kingdom of Ughellli North Local Government
Area, Delta State by alleged herdsmen who attacked the villages.
This came in a statement of the UPU
signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Abel Oshevire, and made
available to banneronlinenews.com.
While calling on the President and
Commander- in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu
Buhari, GCFR “to stop these genocidal killings of our people in Uwheru Kingdom”,
the UPU said: “We are particularly worried at the allegations that on Saturday,
the 15th of February, 2019, men in Military uniforms, allegedly on
the side of the herdsmen, were deeply involved in this recent saga and shot sporadically
at harmless citizens of Agadama-Uwheru, leaving some of them dead or gravely
injured. The UPU urges the Federal and Military Authorities to investigate this
allegation, with a view to bringing the security agents and herdsmen involved
in this dastardly activity to book.
“As we also speak, a whole community
in Uwheru, Avwon, has been
taken over by these herdsmen, while
all indigenes have fled the place for
their lives. A lot of the people have
become refugees in other places,
families have been displaced and many
who escaped the killings through
the bush remain missing and
unaccounted for. communities like Oreba, Owarovwo, Ophororo, Ohoro, Urede among
others that constantly face attacks, or are threatened, by these herdsmen, who
openly boast that they will take over these communities unchallenged, have
since been witnessing mass exodus of people due to the ferocity and daring at
which these vampire herdsmen perpetrate their gruesome activities. These herdsmen
are known to even demand for levies and protection money from our people in
Uwheru, who are pursuing their legitimate livelihood of fishing and farming on
their ancestral lands. Those who resist these demands have been known to be attacked,
raped, maimed or killed by the wicked herdsmen.”
Full text of the UPU statement reads:
PRESS RELEASE BY URHOBO PROGRESS UNION
(UPU)
WORLDWIDE OVER THE RENEWED ARMED
HERDSMEN
ATTACKS AND KILLINGS OF URHOBO PEOPLE
AT
AGADAMA-UWHERU TOWN OF UWHERU KINGDOM,
UGHELLI NORTH LGA, DELTA STATE
Reports of the renewed attacks and
killings by herdsmen on Agadama
Town and other villages in Uwheru
Kingdom of Ughellli North Local
Government Area, Delta State, where
over eight persons were brutally
murdered (two of the victims were
burnt alive) and many displaced from
their ancestral lands have reached the
Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)
Worldwide and we, again, call on the
President and Commander- in-
Chief of the Armed Forces of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to stop this
genocidal killings of our people
in Uwheru Kingdom.
We are particularly worried at the
allegations that on Saturday, the 15th
of February, 2019, men in Military
uniforms, allegedly on the side of the
herdsmen, were deeply involved in this
recent saga and shot sporadically
at harmless citizens of
Agadama-Uwheru, leaving some of them dead or
gravely injured. The UPU urges the
Federal and Military Authorities to
investigate this allegation, with a
view to bringing the security agents
and herdsmen involved in this dastardly
activity to book.
As we also speak, a whole community in
Uwheru, Avwon, has been
taken over by these herdsmen, while
all indigenes have fled the place for
their lives. A lot of the people have
become refugees in other places,
families have been displaced and many
who escaped the killings through
the bush remain missing and
unaccounted for. Other Uwheru
communities like Oreba, Owarovwo,
Ophororo, Ohoro, Urede among
others that constantly face attacks,
or are threatened, by these herdsmen,
who openly boast that they will take
over these communities
unchallenged, have since been
witnessing mass exodus of people due to
the ferocity and daring at which these
vampire herdsmen perpetrate their
gruesome activities. These herdsmen
are known to even demand for
levies and protection money from our
people in Uwheru, who are
pursuing their legitimate livelihood
of fishing and farming on their
ancestral lands. Those who resist
these demands have been known to be
attacked, raped, maimed or killed by
the wicked herdsmen.
We find it ridiculous, insulting,
offensive, unacceptable, unimaginable
and disgusting that strangers we took
in and accommodated as part of us,
and as fellow Nigerians, should turn
around to become our tormentors
and killers? God forbid. We will no
longer condone this.
For too long, we have chosen the path
of peace which, unfortunately, has
become our greatest undoing. The
enemies we took in as friends, have
taken us for cowards.
Let it be made categorically clear
that the Urhobo Nation cannot be
conquered. We are a people with a
history of independence. In the
prevailing circumstances, we might be
forced to defend ourselves and
our lands if this unprovoked
harassment and killings of our people is not
halted forthwith.
The Urhobo people are peace-loving,
whether at home or wherever they
dwell. Therefore, we will no longer
tolerate the nuisance of any
unfriendly and troublesome stranger in
our midst.
We want to plead with those who own or
are supporting these
rampaging herdsmen to call them to
order. We are saying unequivocally
that the Urhobo Nation will never,
ever surrender or cede an inch of her
territory to any stranger, no matter
the situation. The strangers in our
land remain strangers and they must
respect and obey the laws of the
land. We shall no more condone these
acts of unprovoked attacks on our
people.
We want to warn trouble makers in our
land to toe the line of peace and
be reminded that our people have the
capacity to defend themselves
against any invaders. We shall not be
cowed or intimidated by any group
of strangers in our own land.
We have remained patient over the
years and our patience is fast running
out.
Enough is Enough!
Signed:
Hon. Abel Oshevire,
National Publicity Secretary,
Urhobo Progress Union, Worlwide
Monday, February 17, 2020
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