Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District in the National Assembly , Sen Gilbert Nnaji ,has described last week’s attack at Attakwu Community of Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen where a Catholic seminarian and four persons were gruesomely killed, as not only callous but also satanic.
The senator said he was particularly saddened that the killing by the suspected cattle breeders happened again in Enugu, and this time, in his senatorial constituency, just a few months after the gruesome invasion and attack on Nimbo, another community in Enugu North Senatorial Zone, occurred.
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But he appealed to the leaders and people of Ndiagu Attakwu in Akegbe-Ugwu community not to take laws into their hands by contemplating an early reprisal action against the Fulani herdsmen anywhere in the state until investigations were concluded.
Senator Nnaji, however, called on the federal government to be more pro-active in stepping up a ” water tight security” in Enugu State and indeed in all other vulnerable communities in the various states of the country where the activities of suspected Fulani herdsmen are very pronounced.
The law maker also urged the owners of the cattle herds to urgently adopt a known practice in the North-Western states like Sokoto and others, where grazing cattles are gagged with strong woven raffia pouch before being allowed to graze through farm lands.
Nnaji, who is the lawmaker representing the affected community in the Senate, condoled with the Catholic community in Enugu Diocese over the killing of a Catholic seminarian during the last Thursday’s invasion of Ndiagu Attakwu Community.
The attack and death of the seminarian,according to him, was the height of inhumanity.
He maintained that the killing of ” any human being, let alone a priest or servant of God, was the height of callous and satanic conduct by any individual or group of persons “.
Nnaji, who is the Senate Committee Chairman on Communications and who was out of the country as at the time the incident happened, expressed his sympathy and condolence with the leadership of the Catholic community in Enugu state and Nigeria in general, urging them to ” take heart and adhere to the biblical injunction as taught by Jesus Christ not to seek revenge but to continue to maintain peace until the government and security agencies unravels those behind the dastard killing.”
His words: ” The killing and attacks are despicable and a pre-meditated action which is unacceptable to our people in this senatorial zone.
”I am calling our people and the Catholic community in Enugu state not to seek any form of revenge. But at the same time, we will no longer condone this ungodly bloodshed and destruction of any kind.
‘What happened was an indication that the security of our people is not being taken seriously by the relevant authorities of the government.
” We are a law abiding natives of this area who welcome visitors that are well meaning not those that will come and invade us at midnight and spill the blood of our people. Therefore, our people should not be taken for granted by anybody.
“The security agencies in the land must wake up to their statutory responsibilities and government must bear in mind that the blood of our people in Enugu State have been sufficiently wasted for no genuine reason. Enough is enough,”he added.
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