The Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), has said comments by the national president of Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore, Abdullahi Bodejo, that the bushes in the South-East did not belong to Ohanaeze or the five governors of the region had proved that those who brought the idea of RUGA had clandestine plans against Ndigbo.

The group, however, warned Bodejo to stop making statements that would destroy the peaceful co-existence of Nigerians, stressing that his statements about land ownership were insulting and unacceptable.

Abdullahi Bodejo had in an interview allegedly claimed that the security measures taken by the South-East Governors to ban movement of cattle on foot within the region showed that they were not good Nigerians.

According to Bodejo, “good Nigerians are supposed to accept every Nigerian to do his business in any part of the country by whatever means of bringing the business there.

“We Fulani are not happy over the way some governors and the Ohanaeze in that region are reacting over the Fulani issues. Once you are a governor, you begin to see everyone no matter the particular area he comes from as one.

“That area is everybody’s area whether Fulani, Tiv, Ijaw, Yoruba etc, it is part of Nigeria; Nigeria is one. The bush doesn’t belong to them. If you are a governor or whatever they can call you, the bush has been there. If they claim that they are farming, they are not farming on every part of the bush.

“For the Fulani, their business is inside the bush. The governor and the organisation don’t have any reason for that; if they did, let them open up or come up with the reason. They can’t say if they want to bring cows they must bring them in with vehicles.

“Before the introduction of vehicles, the Fulani were moving with their cows and supplying their cows to any part of the country. From Taraba State, Fulani have been trekking with their cows to sell in Anambra, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Uyo, etc. This is part of the culture of the Fulani.”

Apparently enraged, COSEYL President-General frowned at the statement and described it as unguided outburst which demanded immediate apology.

“We condemn the unguided outburst by the national chairman of Miyetti Allah Kantel Hore, Abdullahi Bodejo, wherein he said that the bushes and forest in the South-East zone does not belong to Ohanaeze or to the South-East governors of the region and his request for every state to give land for RUGA.”

“It is very unfortunate that such a callous statement is coming from a man who called himself the national chairman of Miyetti Allah Kantel Hore. For Bodejo to say we don’t own the bush and forest in our own land, he is indirectly telling us that we are not natives and owners of South-East zone.

“Let me ask Bodejo a question; does the South-East bush and Forrest belong to you or your father? This question must be answered by Bodejo because his statement has just confirmed our earlier suspicion of their proposal to establish a Fulani vigilante when plans for RUGA failed as a Greek gift.

“Their aim was to override our land and community and turn it into a Fulani settlement and cattle colony. When they South-East governors proscribed the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who are armless agitators, Bodejo and other Northern leaders lauded them.” (New Telegraph)

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