Fulani Invasion of Enugu State: An open letter to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Fulani Invasion of Enugu State: An open letter to Governor  Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Your Excellency,

With a heart that is filled with the mixture of gloom and anguish that I write to you these few lines. My name is Emeka Ubesie. I’m a public affairs analyst with so much abhorrence for the recent inhuman activities of the herdsmen in Nigeria and Enugu State in particular. I’m a true son of the soil and also an Igbo man who wouldn’t dare to compromise compos mentis for insane. I believe that you mean well for all the people living in your territory, most especially the Hausa’s, the Yoruba’s and the foreigners from other countries. Your inaugural address at Michael Okpara Square, during your inauguration ceremony lucidly showcased your preparedness to take coal city to the next level in all areas.   

Your Excellency, in 2010, Mr. Ude, a lecturer in the Department of Statistics University of Nigeria, Nsukka was killed by the herdsmen, who usually rob road users along Opi Nsukka road, as he was on his way to visit his family. The untimely death of this good man with an unalloyed behaviour created a huge vacuum, which no man can ever fill in the department. These herdsmen that usually disguise themselves in black overall jacket like policemen, with their guns and cutlass hidden inside of it, while staging an attack on the innocent road users wanted to rob the bus which the late Mr. Ude boarded, along Enugu-Nsukka expressway. As the driver of their bus who was paying attention to every pothole and police checkpoints, which littered along this route noticed that these men in black overall jacket that were waving at him to stop weren’t policemen, he accelerated faster, so as to escape, but these herdsmen opened fire on the bus and shot sporadically. 

Unfortunately, one of their bullet pierced through the back window of the bus and buried itself in the head of this lecturer, and his young life was forcefully sniffed out of him. These Fulani herdsmen took away the life of a good man, who was a source of encouragement to many students, who were already frustrated by the cruel structure of the department. The late Mr. Ude was a saint in the midst of other sadist in the department and he was mourned and missed by students that knew his worth. My good friend Paul Abuwa, who the late Mr. Ude was his course adviser can attest to this above stated fact. I was also fortunate to have been thought Operation Research (OR) extensively during my undergraduate years in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka by late Mr. Ude, of a blessed memory.

During my years as an undergraduate, so many people, including those that share the same ancestral heritage with you were sent to an unplanned journey, into the belly of the mother earth by these herdsmen that rear cattle within and around Nsukka environs. The news of their unpleasant activities along Nsukka route is no longer new to the eardrum of some policemen in Enugu State, whose hobbies are to build roadblocks along Enugu-Nsukka expressway, while collecting white or wazo, as they have nicknamed some denomination of our naira currency, from bus drivers and other private vehicles.

Fulani terrorists invade Enugu State

In 2011, I was almost killed by these herdsmen along this same route, but by the grace of God almighty and my personal chi that bawled aloud, ‘mbanu! No! Emeka your time hasn’t come yet, oge gi erubeghi, I survived. I have come to realise that the life I’m living now is just a borrowed life, after that experience with the Fulani herdsmen because, I knew that I did lost mine on that fateful day. Around first week of March in 2011, I arrived Enugu from Lagos. The next day, I decided to call a friend of mine that reside in the University community, just to know how he was faring.  The young man shrieked audibly through the phone on hearing my voice and said, ‘Emeka, nwanne, owu n’asa boys.’ I needed no interpreter to explain to me what he meant, because his message was well delivered and understood. In a nutshell, he was trying to inform me that he was broke. In his mind, I’m supposed to have some money on me, since I just arrived from Lasgidi (Lagos) to 042 (Enugu), as we popularly called the two states. Finally, after a long conversation on the phone, I promised him that I was going to come around during the weekend to buy him one or two bottles of beer, and as well give him some money too - His broken heart was elated afterwards.

On that fateful Sunday, as I was inside a bus going to Old Park, where I would board a Peace Mass Transit bus that will take me to Nsukka. A thought slipped through my mind suddenly, and I decided to pay a visit to my cousin Nnamdi in Abakpa, before leaving for Nsukka. Nnamdi was very happy when he saw me, and he thought that I was going to spend an ample time with him, but I dashed his joy, immediately I told him that I have an appointment with a friend in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He pleaded and asked me to stay with him, but I refused and hurriedly left for Nsukka, after spending about thirty minutes with him in their house.

As the Peace Mass Transit bus which I boarded at Peace Park Enugu left Old Park, the driver of our bus who was driving as if he was drunk furiously zoomed off and all the potholes that scattered on the road felt the screeching tyres of our bus, until we got to Night Mile and diverted to Nsukka road. As we journeyed down further, we spotted another Peace Mass Transit bus which was a bit ahead of ours. Immediately our driver who has been reckless since our departure from their park sighted the other bus, he started chasing the bus, as if they were in a car racing competition. ‘Driver nwayo biko! Driver nwayo biko!’ Everybody that was in our bus started shouting, as our bus suddenly developed wings and started flying on the road. But the driver ignored all and sundry and continued. As we got around Opi, I sighted two men that wore black overall from the second seat where I was seated. These men were waving at the other bus that was in front of ours to stop, but I think the driver of the bus noticed what was about to happen, so he accelerated faster and disappeared. Our bus driver who didn’t observe what just transpired between the other bus and these men applied his brake and foolishly retarded, as he approached to them. Just in a twinkle of an eye, these men pulled out long double barrel guns from their overall, jumped in front of our bus and ordered the driver to park by the road side. Three others also hopped out from nearby bush, with their guns and started shooting into the sky. Other cars and buses that were behind quickly reversed and ran for their dear lives, while we all were matched out from our bus by these Fulani herdsmen.

‘Wey the moni, wey the phone,’ was the next thing they started asking everyone. We were ordered to lie down by the road side, with our faces to the ground, while they search our luggage and pockets, stealing our money and valuables. They took the beer money and my lovely Nokia touch phone that was at the back pocket of my trouser. One of them pointed his double barrel gun to my head and threatened to shoot me, if I don’t give him the other money that was in my front pocket, which wasn’t meant for beer. I obeyed and hastily handed the money over to him. The head of our driver was cut deep with a cutlass by one of the robbers or Fulani’s or herdsmen. After they had taken their time to rob us, a police patrol Hilux came and they ran into the bush, while the police men stood like an effigy of a deity in my village that is called Ishiogba, and watched these robbers as they ran majestically into the bush, without making any attempt to chase them or fire a single bullet at them.

I also heard that these Fulani herdsmen have opened up more branch offices along Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway and as well, some regional offices along Ugwogo Nike, in Enugu East Local Government Area. It is also obvious that they have now graduated from robbery to kidnapping of the innocent people that live in the state, and the people of Enugu did nothing about it.

In 2014, a special adviser to the immediate past Governor of Enugu State was kidnapped by these Fulani herdsmen along the new link road that connect to Nsukka, through Ugwogo Nike and the sum of 1.5million naira was paid to them as ransom, before he was released.

In 2015, a father to a nursery school teacher, whose school is located around Obiagu in Enugu North Local Government Area was also kidnapped by these herdsmen, along this same new connecting Ugwogo to Nsukka link road, and the sum of five hundred thousand naira was paid to them as ransom, before he was released.

I came across this news online by Emmanuel Uzodinma on April 4, 2016 and it read;

Herdsmen abduct catholic priest in Enugu, demand N10m ransom.

A Roman Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Aniako Celestine, in charge of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Ukana, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State has been abducted by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the abduction of the priest, said the command was on their trail.

The development has created serious tension in his country home of Owa community in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Your Excellency, shall we all fold our hands and watch our peaceful coal city turn into the abode of robbers? Or shall we all sit in our homes with our hearts in our mouths? These herdsmen have eaten more than they can chew and they need to be call to other, before they will take over our homes.   

Your Excellency, please, I’m pleading on behalf of all the people that reside in Enugu State that you should look into this matter as urgent as possible and also take the necessary action because, one doesn’t know who will be the next victim. I also call on the other security agencies in Enugu State to kindly help us save our ancestral land. An Igbo proverb says that; If a woman decides to make the soup watery, the husband will learn to dent the Garri before dipping it into the soup. More so, a grasshopper that runs into the mist of fowls ends up in the land of spirits and may one's visitor not constitute a problem, so that on his departure he will not leave with a hunchback.  

Your Excellency, I want to end this letter by reminding you that Egwu Achi road in Oji-River Local Government Area of Enugu State is the worse road in your state. Please, kindly do justice to this road.

Regards,

Emeka Ubesie 

(Emeka is a young Nigerian writer and public affairs analyst. He is a member of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management (IPDM), The Royal Life Saving Society of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN))

{Email: emekaubesie@yahoo.com, Twitter: @emeka_ubesie}