8 May 2018
Attn;
His Excellency Governor Ben Ayade,
CP Hafiz Inuwa, Commissioner of Police CRS,
Rt Hon John Gaul Lebo, Speaker, CRSHA,
Mr Jude Ngaji, State Security Adviser, CRS.
Yesterday, two truck loads of Fulanis were conveyed to Ogoja from an unknown destination. Their mission was to come, settle in Garki along Barracks road, Ogoja and start their routine activities without anyone getting to know about it.
According to sources who were on ground, they came with two armed escorts – an Army Officer and a Policeman since they suspected the locals could resist them if eventually they got to know. To their greatest surprise, the Hausa's who have been living in Garki over the years where the first to raise alarm and call the attention of the public about “new faces” who have come to join them.
According to them, the new Fulani's will make life difficult and hostile for them to continue living in ogoja peacefully because it is possible they were driven from wherever they came from because they were killer Herdsmen.
An anonymous Fulani explained that there were different factions of Hausa/Fulani in Nigeria with each having a different motive citing signs and marks to decode a good or bad person (fulani) amongst them.
Youths numbering over 300 from the host community; Ogoja and beyond came in agreement and chased the invading Fulani's and the two guards away. They were escorted from Garki, (for those who know Ogoja very well) to Yahe in Yala. When the people of Yahe saw what was going on, they joined in the campaign and chased them farer through the borders of Yala and Ikom.
This morning, there were rumours that the said Fulanis have been re-directed to return to Ogoja and sojourn there. Who gave the directive we donot know and no new faces have so far being noticed.
I am by this notice calling on the people of Ogoja; residing at home, to remain vigilant against possible invasion into Ogoja or it environs. We will NOT accommodate Fulanis who will come and cause chaos or give our people sleepless nights because of fear of the unknown. We will not condone any act of forceful invasion into our territory or it's neighborhood. We will resist them in our numbers and wont allow them stay…not anytime soon. So even if the “directive” came from the Chief of Army Staff, Inspector General, The Hague or the United Nations. We will not accept it, not in Ogoja.
If they could be killing their fellow Northerners from Benue, Adamawa, Kogi, Bornu etc then our safety isn't guaranteed having them among our weak aged parents, mothers and children. I am also calling on the Cross River State House of Assembly to move a bill preventing Fulani Herdsmen from grazing or amassing cattle colonies in our state.
Eugene Upah
Is a social commentator
