The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned that its earlier decision to ban the movement and consumption of “Fulani cows in Biafra land, from April 2022, is sacrosanct”.
In a statement signed by the Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful, it said there have been misinformation and misconceptions on their position on the issue which it said enemies of the group are peddling to blackmail it.
It said that it took the decision “as a last resort after many years of patience over the unprovoked genocidal attacks by Fulani herdsmen on our communities, and the failure of the double-faced Nigeria security agencies to rein in the rampaging Fulani mass murderers”.
It said it had waited enough and can no longer tolerate the alleged docility and criminal silence of the Federal Government in protecting its communities against these agents of death.
“Since their cows have been the reason the Fulani jihadists are slaughtering our people, destroying our farms, raping our women and kidnapping our men for ransom, we have decided to stop consuming these cursed Fulani cows which have now become a source of sorrow and death.
“It’s better we are alive and eat no Fulani cows than desire to eat them and be killed,” the group said.
IPOB said that before arriving at its irreversible decision, they had made several appeals to the Federal Government and the security agencies to stop the Fulani from their atrocities in the land but the authorities looked the other way, leaving the hapless communities at the mercy of these messengers of death.
It continued: “Our patience has been over stretched beyond its elasticity point. We can no longer afford to fold our arms and wait for the last man in Biafra land to be killed by Fulani jihadists masquerading as herdsmen.
“Our people waste huge sums of money up to three billion naira every year on cow meat and we won’t allow that to continue and encourage those who have the money to start breeding our local cows (Efi Igbo) and other farming, IPOB will support them to boost the farming and animal husbandry business.
“So, our decision to ban the movement, sale and consumption of Fulani cows throughout Biafra land with effect from April of this year is not borne out of hate but we are safeguarding our land and our people from the evil agenda of Fulani.
“Our decision is borne out of the natural desire to preserve our race from being wiped out by the Fulani terrorist herdsmen”, it said.
