Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Ozo Celestine Okoye, yesterday said that he has been vindicated following the killings by the recently herdsmen in Ebonyi State. Okoye had a week ago raised the alarm in an interview published by Saturday Telegraph that there are 332 Fulani herdsmen settlements in the five states of the South East and heavily armed with AK-47, warning that the governors of the five states and security operatives in the area should expedite actions in beefing up security in the zone to avoid any attack.

Okoye further expressed fears that the Ebonyi massacre is a prelude to what he called a looming genocide in Igbo land, insisting that it is not too late to arrest the situation. “When I said that there is a looming genocide being plotted by the herdsmen a lot of people said that I was over heating the polity and trying to unsettle Igbo land. “Today what is happening? They have started and I was not surprised that it started in Ebonyi State which I said has the highest number of Fulani settlements in the South East.

“Let us not be deceived by whatever anyone is saying that they are in control of the situation because it was the same thing they said before the herdsmen stormed Ebonyi State. ‘‘All the governors of the South East are aware of the presence of the herdsmen in the South East who are heavily armed with AK-47 ready to launch attacks on Igbo land and the earlier they take action the better for our people.”

•Text (excluding headline): Saturday Telegraph.