Cows in South-East owned by Igbo not Fulani, victim tells Obiano

Tony Okafor

Cows in South-East owned by Igbo not Fulani, victim tells Obiano

A cattle trader whose over 50 cows were burnt in Anambra State,Chibuike Okafor, has said  all cows seen in the South-East are owned by Igbo businessmen.
Okafor spoke on Tuesday when he met the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu.

He said over 50 cows belonging to him was set ablaze by angry mob when a lorry transporting his cows reportedly killed eight persons at Kwata junction, Awka, Anambra State.

Similarly hoodlums on Sunday burnt a lorry laden with cows at Oba, in the Idemili Local Government Area of the state.It was gathered that the driver and conductor of the lorry were killed in the attack by people suspected to be members of a  secessionist group.

But Okafor while briefing the Anambra SSG said it was wrong impression for people  in the area to think that the cows coming to the South-East belonged to Northerners.

He said, “Your Excellency, I would want to tell you that almost all  the cows you see in the South-East are owned by Igbo traders. What happens is that if we go there to buy the cows, we use vehicles
owned by the Northerners to bring them down here.

” We have had a long-time cordial relationship with them in this business. It will be wrong for our people to have wrong impression about the Northerners. They are good people generally speaking, especially in business.

Responding, the Secretary to the State Government assured the protection of every Nigerian in the state.
He said, ” We understood that our people had been in a long-time cordial joint business partnership with the north in this trade” .
Chukwulobelu assured that he would take back all the information he had gathered about the development to the governor, Willie Obiano.
Chukwulobelu who had visited one of the accident victims at a hospital in Awka, enjoined cow traders and other businessmen and women in the area to embrace insurance schemes to mitigate losses in situations as the one at hand.

Meanwhile, the state government has ordered security operatives to fish out hoodlums who attacked and burnt a truck-load of cows on Sunday in Oba, Idemili Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba made this known.
Describing the act  as antithetical to the Igbo culture that respects life and property, Adinuba said the culprits would not go unpunished.

He added,”Governor Obiano has directed a high-powered team to visit families of the deceased victims as well as the owner of the cattle and condole with him for not only the death of the animals in the accident but also the later killing of some of the animals by the mob.

“The Government and people of Anambra State abhor jungle justice and all manner of mob behaviour. Such behaviour has no place in any civilized environment.

“Like in every decent society, there are laid down procedures which aggrieved citizens and people take. Persons found guilty of irresponsible conduct in respect of the incident will face the consequences of their action.