By PEREZ BRISIBE, Ughelli

Former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, NUPENG, and elder statesman, Chief Frank Kokori, has lamented the continued attacks by suspected armed herdsmen in parts of Delta State stating that the state is fast becoming an epicenter of herdsmen in the South-South region of the country.

Chief Kokori who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, called on the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to leave up to expectation by ensuring that the lives of all Deltans count.

Lamenting what he described as a siege on the state by armed herdsmen, he said: “This is a siege on Delta State and I am calling on the governor and his people (executive) to tackle this matter seriously because the people are starting to lose confidence on the ability of the government to protect them which is one of the first cardinal objectives of a government.

“They should not make Delta State the epicenter of herdsmen menace in the South-South region of Nigeria that cannot be controlled and they do what they like and the government is not doing anything.

“To me, as an elder statesman, I am very saddened and I am not happy because every day, herdsmen are marauding the length and breadth of the state and the state is fast becoming the epicenter of herdsmen killings and kidnappings in the entire south-south.

“Okowa should not think that because this is his second term in office, he can neglect the people, that is a matter that every government in the country is taking seriously and we are yet to hear anything from him.”

Proffering solutions on how to tackle the herdsmen menace in the state, he said: “Okowa should summon his security council and give them the riot act that they should go after the armed herdsmen.

“He should also set up his own kind of government-backed vigilante. You don’t just send people under the guise of vigilante without giving them license for their operations and guns, with that, the vigilante will be bold enough to purse the herdsmen. He is the governor and he knows what to do.” (Vanguard)

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