The former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Onyeabor Ihejirika has finally spoken on the recent rise in crime in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State while calling on all to shun the attachment of profiles and ethnicity to criminals terrorizing the land.
Speaking during a virtual interview seesion jointly organized by Flo FM and AF NEWS, the former Army Chief explained that the current kidnapping saga in Isuikwuato was facilitated by the presence of bad portions of all the roads leading to the area. He noted that the bandits unleashing this mayhem on the people capitalize on the bad spots of these roads to ambush motorist, which has resulted in the past kidnapping of several people and collecting ransom until one of last two days, which causes lives.
Lt. Gen Ihejirika reacting to the suspicion of the attacks on killer-herdsmen noted that based on his experiences, there is nothing like killer herdsmen.
“We have bandits and herdsmen. The herder can not leave his cows and start killing people as his business is only cow rearing. What we have today as bandits were cattle rustlers, who previously attacked the herdsmen and killed their cows. But along the line, the herdsmen became organized, thereby preventing further attacks.” The former Army boss maintained.
Gen. Azubuike further observed that the only relationship between the herdsmen and bandits is that the bandits, after their activities, follow the cattle routes to disappear as fast as possible into the forest and other hidden places and further start demanding for ransom.
Reacting to his efforts aimed at combating the rise in crime, Gen Ihejirika speaks:
“As I am speaking to you, I’m in Abuja with a reason to discuss with the heads of security agencies, to alert them of the current situation but before now I have had a lengthy conversation with the Abia State Commissioner of Police, who is seriously taking actions. However, I am so happy with the actions she has taken so far. I am not happy that this has lasted so long until lives have been lost.” The former Army Chief noted.
He further noted that he has made a series of recommendations of which will not be revealed publicly observing that all the recommendations are towards ensuring a lasting solution to the problem. He noted that one of such recommendations is for the Abia State government to embark on massive repairs of the bad spots if not the whole roads, not only in Isuikwuato but in all the local governments of the state to make them motorable.
Gen Ihejirika also noted that part of the problem in managing security in the nation has always been the problem of embarking on profile and attaching ethnicity to crime while citing some cases. He noted that when this is done, the criminals are given political covers thereby making the work of the security agencies very difficult.
“A criminal is a criminal no matter his or her ethnicity. No set of bandits can operate successfully and for a long time without a traditional backing. We also need to also look inwards”. Gen Ihejirika maintains
Speaking finally on the relationship between farmers and herders in the area, the former Army chief noted that there have not been major crisis between farmers and herders in the area. He pointed out that in some cases, some herders took their cattle to some farms and destroyed crops, which later settled at the local government level.
He further advised the farmers to farm collectively in a cooperative manner. In such a way that their farms will be visible even from a far distance and ensure that in each time, there are two or more farmers within the area.
“The herders/farmers crisis are quite avoidable. The herders are organized, they have leaders that can be reached. If any farm is trampled upon, their leaders could be made to pay appropriate reparation” – The former Army Chief advises.
