Miyetti Allah should advise its members to join the Nigerian Army to help in counterinsurgency operations in the North East, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC) has said.
The Igbo youth group stated this in reaction to threats by the Fulani herders group to create its own security outfit across the country.
OYC National President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and General Secretary, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said in a statement that the Fulani group should let its charity begin at home by helping the Army to defeat insurgents in the North.
The group said it would vehemently rebuff any attempt by the Northern group to create a security outfit in the South-East geopolitical zone.
The statement read, “The OYC calls on the leadership of Miyetti Allah, threating to establish their own security outfit across the country, to use the opportunity of Nigerian Army Recruitment exercise to relocate all their herdsmen to the North East and defeat Boko Haram with Nigerian Army. Their charity should begin at home not abroad.
“The OYC will dismantle any Miyetti Allah security outfit in Igbo land, as the South East governors’ ban on conveyance of cattle by foot is still effective and any herdsmen seen with any sophisticated weapon will be dealt with.
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“We received the recent pronouncement by Brig Gen Emmanuel Akpan, Director of Army Recruitment Resettlement and Reserves of Nigerian army, that the army is willing to recruit Nigerian youths for the only purpose of defeating Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, as a good development but such recruitment should be reserved only for Northern youths as Igbo youths are not comfortable with such recruitment. Such recruitment is a death verdict and penalty for any intending youth waiting to be recruited solely for North East insurgents.
“OYC insists that Operations Shege Ka Fassa, Civil JTF, repented Boko Haram insurgents,Meyatti Allah and Arewa Youths should be recruited massively. If the intention was targeted on Igbo youths, by choosing South East as the venue to announce the recruitment exercise, such agenda is dead on arrival, as Igbo youths are only available for agricultural and economic recruitment.
“The OYC wants Igbo youths to be engaged in community policing or regional arrangements. There are various recruitment exercises going on in various states in the South East regarding to engaging youths to tackle insecurity challenges in the South East. OYC will discourage any Igbo youth from going to sacrifice his or her life in the North East. , South East lacks the manpower, for the recruitment exercise into Nigerian Army, because of other meaningful and significant programmes Youths are about to be engaged in the South East.”
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