To check herdsmen attacks on communities in Igboland, the Association of South-East Town Unions, ASETU, has resolved to set up vigilance groups to protect lives and properties of the people.

The group lamented that lives and properties are being lost, women raped, while communities have been sacked across Igboland by herdsmen.

National President of ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe, who disclosed this during the 2019 annual convention of the World Igbo Congress, WIC, in Texas, USA, explained that the project would involve presidents-general, state, zonal, local government and chapter coordinators in the five states of the South-East, and National Executive Council, NEC.

Diwe added that ASETU has been working to ensure that all town unions across Igboland have functional local vigilantes to guarantee maximum security.

He noted that the inability of the government and its security agencies to address the situation had raised suspicion among Igbo people that the tribe has been marked out for ethnic cleansing.

In his words: “As town unions, we have taken steps to confront this menace. We have leveraged on our grassroots reach and tentacles to establish a Town Union Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, which connects all the Igbo communities and instantly transmits information.

“For instance, a community in Enugu can quickly be responded to by a combined team of stand-by volunteers across the South-East. We must stop the slaughter of our people and re-assert ourselves, re-establish our dignity and make our young ones realise we truly care about them.

“It is resolved that the World Igbo Congress through the Association of South-East Town Unions, ASETU, will establish formidable intelligence units in Ala-Igbo, as well as reinforce vigilante groups in Ala-Igbo to ensure that Igbo land is protected.

“Where they are comatose, we will ensure their revival and where they are dysfunctional, we are ensuring they are strengthened.”

While stressing that the Igbo people have been left to self-defence, Diwe urged the Diaspora to think and invest at home. (Vanguard)

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