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 police men, 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 express way.
As the driver of their bus who was paying attention to every pothole and police
check points, which littered along this route noticed that these men in black
overall jacket that were waving at him to stop weren’t police men, 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 police men 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.
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.
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))
