On Saturday, the Inter-Tribal Traditional Leaders Association of Nigeria denounced the killings of defenseless cattle sellers in an Abia State cattle market by unidentified gunmen.
The tragedy was described as cold-hearted, unjustified, callous, and reprehensible in a statement signed by the association’s National Chairman, Igwe Boniface Ibekwe, Eze Ndigbo Kano, including Ndanusa Yakubu, Sarkin Napuwan Katsina; Musa Mohammed Dongon Gadi, Sarkin Hausawa Agege, and Hassan A Yusuf Oba Yoruba Borno.
The Association, which is made up of traditional leaders from various communities across Nigeria, emphasised that such animal responses to perceived rivals had no place in today’s modern civilized Nigeria.
The Association stated that it would keep a close eye on the issue and that it would leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators of the atrocity were apprehended and brought to justice.
The Association praised Governor Ekezie Ikpeazu of Abia State for making a sympathetic gesture to the victims’ families by funding the burial of the deceased and compensating them for their cattle that were killed.
The Association expressed its condolences to their colleague, Sarkin Hausawa of Abia State, Yaro Danladi, as well as the Hausa Community in Abia State and the deceased’ immediate families.
They urged the country’s security agencies to take prompt action to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime and prevent similar incidents in the future.
They also charged President Muhammadu Buhari with prioritizing local integration and conflict prevention mechanisms in the South East and the rest of Nigeria’s region to prevent future occurrences.