Killer Herdsmen Endangered As Igbo Congress Kicks Off 'Operation Lion Walk'

The Igbo National Congress (INC) Worldwide on Monday launched a regional security network codenamed ‘Operation Lion Walk’ for the protection of forests and farmlands in Igboland against the murder and maiming of local farmers by marauding herdsmen.

The INC leadership explained that, with the apparent failure of South-East governors to establish a regional vigilante force, the group would no longer condone the killings, maimings and rapings of the farmers by violent herdsmen said to be hiding in forests in the region.

The Igbo group had earlier issued a 21-day ultimatum to what it called the ‘jihadist killer herdsmen’ to vacate the forests and farmlands of the South-East.

Recall that AllNews had reported the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo as handing a two-week deadline to all killer herdsmen in Igboland to quit the forests and bushes in the area or be ejected by force.

INC National President, Godsent Chilos, who unveiled the security force during a press briefing, disclosed that the INC worldwide, having examined the tenuous security situation in the country as it affects Igboland, have decided on the formation of ‘Operation Lion Walk’.

His words, "In defiance to this quit notice, the jihadists killer herdsmen have continued to attack communities in Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra and Imo states, respectively. On Friday, 12th June 2020, a group of jihadist killer herdsmen who were still hiding in some forests in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State attacked and brutally killed a man in cold blood at Mbano Autonomous Community in Agwa clan, Oguta LGA Imo State and fled.

"Cognisance of our rights to self-determination, this 15th day of June 2020, the Igbo National Council (INC) worldwide hereby launches “Operation Lion Walk” throughout the territories of the Igbo nation. This operation is aimed at fishing out and flushing out every criminal element who are criminally hiding in or occupying our farmlands and forests using same as hideouts to commit sacrilege against the Igbo nation.

"On the above, the Igbo National Council (INC), therefore, charge all the town unions, traditional rulers and youth organisations of communities of the Igbo nation that has not constituted their vigilante groups to immediately do so and quickly commence the combing of their community farmlands and forests to fish out and flush out remnant’s of these criminal elements who are still hiding in some of our forests waiting for order to attack and attempt to invade Igbo land."