No deal with herdsmen –South East monarchs insist

From Magnus Eze, Enugu

The South East Council of Traditional Rulers has debunked allegations that their members were taking ‘bribe’ from  herdsmen to allow them graze their cattle in their domains.

The group said the satanic material on the social media was intended to set the people against their traditional rulers,thereby instigating violence in Igbo land.

Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze E.C. Okeke described the post which first appeared on TikTok as a deliberate falsehood aimed at causing confusion and incite rebellion against the royal fathers in their various localities.

Even as he said that the body would not just sweep such sensitive allegations under the carpet, it challenged the purveyors to name the culprits and provide concrete evidence against them.

Therefore, he called on the people of South East to discountenance the allegation urging them not to fall prey to those working surreptitiously to cause animosity and hatred for the ulterior motives of destroying the region.

“While I don’t intend to outrightly dismiss vital and sensitive issues that were contained in the allegation, I deem it timely and auspicious to challenge those that have any concrete evidence to prove the allegation that some traditional rulers in the South East are in the habit of collecting rent from Fulani herdsmel before allowing them invade and occupy our forests to please come forward with categorical information and disclose the identities of such traditional rulers and their communities.

“It is necessary that such detailed disclosures are made to save us from unwarranted backlash, tension and crisis that could emanate from members of various communities against traditional rulers who may be innocent of such unfounded allegations.

“As traditional rulers, we know ourselves and know the limits of what we should do to avoid endangering the lives of our people. It is therefore baffling and embarrassing that such barefaced lies and falsehoods could be so brazenly told to ridicule Igbo traditional rulers in a bid to portray them as cheap and unconscionable individuals that can mortgage the lives of their subjects for mere porridge and paltry sums of money.

“It is highly disrespectful and blasphemous and I call on the good people of South East of Nigeria to discountenance the allegation and shun such evil machinations being propelled to stir up animosity, violence and unwarranted attacks against our traditional rulers.

“Nobody should be swayed by such unproven allegations that South East traditi                    onal rulers engage in such shabby and shoddy deals as our doors are wide open for whoever has strong evidence to promptly come forward and make the identities of such erring traditional rulers known.

That is the only way to give credence to the TikTok narrative instead of mere speculations or assumptions.”