By SaharaNews247 Editorial Team
Published August 3, 2025
Tensions Boil Over as Igbo National Union Sounds the Alarm on Escalating Security Crisis
In a strongly worded statement released on August 3, 2025, the Igbo National Union Worldwide (INU-W) has called on the five Southeast states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo — to urgently enact and enforce laws banning open grazing of cattle. The group also urged community leaders to form structured vigilante groups to combat what they described as systematic and often deadly attacks by armed herdsmen.
The statement, which has sparked widespread debate across the region, reflects growing frustration over the worsening security situation in rural communities and what many see as an alarming lack of political will from both federal and state governments.
Open Grazing in the Southeast: A Crisis Ignored?
For more than a decade, Nigeria has witnessed a rising number of clashes between herders and farmers, resulting in thousands of deaths, displacement, and food insecurity. In the Southeast, these clashes have taken on ethnic and existential dimensions, with many villagers alleging deliberate targeting of their farmlands and communities.
The INU-W described open grazing as not only “antiquated” but also “a direct threat to the safety and survival of millions in the Southeast.”
In their words:
“No people can remain silent in the face of targeted violence. The time to act is now — our farms, families, and futures are under siege.”
Anti-Open Grazing Laws: Passed but Not Enforced
Several Southeast states, including Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, and Enugu, have passed laws banning open grazing, especially after the Southern Governors’ Asaba Declaration in 2021. But years later, those laws are largely symbolic in many areas, with reports of cattle still roaming freely and local farmers left unprotected.
In Isiukwuato, Abia State, one farmer lamented:
“We have laws, but no enforcement. It’s like owning a gun without bullets.”
This lack of enforcement has led to calls for decentralized policing, a demand that has been ignored by the federal government despite growing insecurity.
Vigilante Groups: Solution or Slippery Slope?
The INU-W called on all towns and villages across Igbo land to organize community-based vigilante groups, legally recognized and supported by their local governments. This call echoes the efforts already underway in some areas where youth groups and hunters are patrolling farmlands and borders at night.
However, legal experts caution that while such groups are constitutionally permissible, they must be:
Registered under state legislation
Supervised by official security agencies
Properly trained and monitored to avoid human rights abuses
According to constitutional lawyer Barr. Chinedu Onwuegbu:
“The constitution permits self-defense, but not lawlessness. Vigilantes must be regulated, not rogue.”
Ebube Agu: What Happened to the Southeast’s Security Outfit?
Launched with much fanfare in 2021, Ebube Agu was created as the Southeast’s regional security response to Amotekun in the Southwest. But nearly four years later, Ebube Agu remains mostly invisible, underfunded, and underutilized.
Many local leaders and residents now view the outfit as a failed political project. In Eha-Amufu, Enugu, a village head put it bluntly:
“Ebube Agu is Ebube Ghost.”
With state-backed security seemingly paralyzed, communities feel abandoned and increasingly willing to take security into their own hands.
The Human Cost: Lives Lost, Livelihoods Destroyed
Civil society organizations estimate that over 140 lives have been lost to herdsmen-related attacks in the Southeast in the past year alone. Thousands have been displaced, while farms, schools, and churches in affected communities have either shut down or operate under extreme fear.
In some towns, especially in Enugu North, Orlu Zone in Imo, and parts of Ebonyi, families sleep in shifts, keeping watch over their homes and farms.
The economic damage is also staggering. Experts estimate that farmlands worth more than ₦3 billion have been destroyed, worsening hunger and inflation in many rural communities.
A Crisis with National and International Implications
The security breakdown in the Southeast is no longer just a regional concern. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have published reports criticizing the Nigerian government for its failure to act.
Issues raised include:
Inconsistent enforcement of anti-open grazing laws
Weak protection for minority communities
A lack of credible investigations or prosecutions of known attackers
These concerns are feeding the growing sentiment that the Igbo region is under siege and that self-reliance is the only option left.
INU-W’s Five-Point Demand to Southeast Leaders
In its press release, the Igbo National Union presented a clear five-point demand:
1. Immediate enforcement of anti-open grazing laws across all Southeast states
2. Legal support for the formation of regulated community vigilante groups
3. Increased funding and revamp of the Ebube Agu security network
4. Urgent investigations and public prosecution of herdsmen linked to recent attacks
5. Federal government intervention to remove all unauthorized armed groups from Southeast territories
These demands echo the frustration of millions of Southeast residents who believe the region is being left to fend for itself.
Southeast Governors Under Pressure
With regional elections on the horizon and public confidence dwindling, governors across the Southeast are under growing pressure to act decisively. Analysts warn that continued inaction could lead to mass civil disobedience or a breakdown of law and order.
In Abia and Anambra, civil society groups have already scheduled town hall meetings to demand accountability and real-time security briefings from their governors.
As one protester in Ohafia said:
“We’re tired of condolences. Give us protection, not sympathy.”
What Experts Say: Insecurity, Politics, and the Future
Security analyst Dr. Nkem Ogbonna from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, says the crisis is complex but not unsolvable.
“This is not just about herders. It’s about broken governance structures, lopsided policing, and the urgent need for true federalism. Until states can fully control their internal security, we will remain reactive instead of proactive.”
He warns that failure to act now could have ripple effects not just in the Southeast, but across the entire nation.
What Happens If Nothing Changes?
If these concerns continue to be ignored:
Communities may resort to unauthorized self-defense mechanisms
Tensions between ethnic groups could spiral into wider conflict
Youth radicalization could rise in rural areas
Food scarcity and displacement will worsen
Trust in democratic leadership will erode further
This is not just a Southeast problem — it’s a national emergency in slow motion.
Final Thoughts: Between Law and Survival
The Southeast stands at a crossroads. With state-backed security forces underperforming and federal intervention inconsistent, community safety has become a personal and collective responsibility.
The INU-W’s call for immediate action is more than a political message. It is a cry for survival from a region that feels abandoned, vulnerable, and fed up with unfulfilled promises.
Whether or not the Southeast governors will rise to the occasion remains to be seen. But one thing is clear:
This is no longer about cows and crops — it’s about human lives.
