Tension on Sunday mounts in Asaba, the Delta State capital, after residents discovered a threat letter giving Governorn Ifeanyi Okowa a 72-hour ultimatum to withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing or risk the state capital being attacked.
The letter titled “Fulani Jihadist Warning: An Open Message Of 2 Paragraphs To Delta State” was said to have been posted in strategic locations in the state capital including at the fence of the Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel at Infant Jesus Road in Asaba.
The letter is coming weeks after governors of the 17 southern states at its meeting in Asaba recently banned open grazing of cattle in the region.
The ban was rejected by the Federal Government and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who claimed the decision of the governors violates the rights of herdsmen to free movement.
President Muhammadu Buhari also rejected the position of the governors and ordered for the restoration of the grazing routes across the country in an interview on Friday.
But in the unsigned letter, it particularly threatened that Fulani Jihadist fighters will attack Asaba and Governor Okowa’s Agbor Town if he failed to withdraw his support for the ban open grazing in the state.
The letter reads, “This is to inform Delta state that the Fulani’s of Usman dan fodio leadership, shall do everything it can to uphold the legacy of our heritage of open grazing for we are nomadic people from origination and shall never negotiate the ownership of Nigeria and West Africa and Sub-Sahara.
“We hereby demand the governor of Delta state to immediately withdraw his early stand for the call to barn open grazing in 17 regions in not less than 72hours from the above date and also, withdraw his position as the leading voice for the governors, as no occurrence we don’t have the first-hand information, even before the hosting of the South-south. South-east and South-south governors meeting in Asaba.
