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| Fulani people Ogoja recently causing a stir |
Efio-Ita Nyok|10 May 2018
It will be recalled that on Tuesday, 8th of May, I published am opinion by one Eugene Upah alleging the invasion of Ogoja LGA by trucks of Fulani people. The publication was drawing the attention of the Executive Governor of Cross River, Speaker John Lebo of the 8th Cross River State House of Assembly, State Security Adviser to the Governor of Cross River, Commissioner for Police, Cross River and Department of State Security, Calabar over the security implications of that suspicious invasion: ‘Fulani Invades Ogoja: Attn Gov Ayade, Speaker Lebo, SSA Ngaji CP Inuwa —by Eugene Upah
Yesterday, I stumbled on sundry pictures from the influx of these Fulani indigenes in Ogoja. Interestingly, as at yesterday evening, these Fulanis were still at Ogoja, not yet repatriated despite the alarm raised by the Hausas residents in Garki, Ogoja contrary to what Ms Irene Ugbo, the Police Public Relations Officer, Cross River State said in the which she alleged that actually two trucks loaded with Fulani Herdsmen arrived the towns but were returned back with armed escorts. Returned to where!?
According to Hope for Nigeria, ‘Two truck loaded with Fulani people mostly from neighbouring countries were intercepted at a checkpoint in Ogoja local government area in Cross River state after an alarm was raised by Hausa community in Ogoja, Cross Rivers state. They saw them as they alight from the truck to buy food.
An eyewitness, stated that ‘the Fulanis came with two armed escorts – an Army Officer and a Policeman since they suspected the locals could resist them if eventually, they got to know’. To their greatest surprise, the Hausas who have been living in Garki over the years where the first to raise alarm and call the attention of the public about the ‘new faces’ who have come to join them’.
According to the Hausas, ‘The new Fulanis will make life difficult and hostile for them to continue living in Ogoja peacefully because it is possible they were driven from wherever they came from because they were killer Herdsmen’.
‘Youths chased the Fulanis from Garki, to Yahe in Yala. When the people of Yahe saw what was going on, they joined in the campaign and chased them farther through the borders of Yala and Ikom.’
The last thing that has been said is that the chased Fulani people returned, on the alleged premise of an order from above.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is the Blogger-in-Chief, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of NegroidHaven
