The Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s announcement proposing the establishment of cattle ranches in Abuja, the ancestral homeland of the Gbagi people and other states across the country.
The move, according to the IPOB group, is nothing more than Ruga repackaged and a nefarious land-grabbing tactic disguised as government policy.
Emma Powerful, the spokesperson for pro-biafran group, stated in a press release on Tuesday that it is unfortunate that the federal government is putting cow colonies ahead of innovation, security, and education in the twenty-first century.
The spokesperson stated that Powerful said what started as a “need for grazing” years ago led to the total subjugation of proud territories, adding that “the rise of alien emirates, and the transformation of indigenous owners of the land into strangers in their ancestral homes. Abuja is about to witness the same fate if this madness is not stopped.”
A part of the statement read, “President Tinubu unaware that no sensible country in the world keeps cattle around its capital city?
“Let him point to any major city—from Nairobi to New Delhi, São Paulo to Seoul—where cattle are granted permanent settlements around central governance zones.
“This absurdity is uniquely Nigerian, and disgracefully so.”
“Today, the Gbagi are being pushed to the margins; tomorrow, there will be an Emir of Abuja. And in 60 years—just like what befell the Hausas—the Gbagi will be footnotes in history, reduced to relics of their own heritage.
“Let it be known that IPOB shall resist any attempt—direct or indirect—to impose this toxic expansionist agenda anywhere in Biafraland. No inch of our territory will be given for herder settlements, cattle corridors, or so-called ranching. Our forests, our villages, our farmlands are sacred to us—not bargaining chips in a federal contract of death.
“Let them be transported by rail, just as is done in civilised societies. That’s how a serious nation handles its livestock economy—not by slaughtering indigenous peoples and seizing their homes under the guise of ranching,” he added.
The IPOB spokesperson added that no progressive country builds ranches next to houses, schools, and marketplaces, and that this administration’s inability to understand this fundamental principle is a reflection of its own failure rather than ours.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
