The
Enugu State Governor, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, yesterday appealed for peaceful
settlement of the fracas involving farmers in Ugwuelshi community of Awgu local
government area and the Hausa/Fulani herdsmen resident in the community.
The crisis arose over
alleged destruction of farm crops of the villagers by the herdsmen while rearing
their cattle.
Ugwuanyin who engaged
the villagers and other stakeholders in a town meeting yesterday at Ugwuleshi
primary school field promised to compensate the farmers whose farm crops were
destroyed with the sum of five million naira.
He also dished out the
sum of three and a half million naira on the spot to the Awgu transitional
chairman, Hon Stanley Okeke, for logistics aimed at securing the release of
seventy six members of the community, who are being detained at a prison
custody in Umuahia, the Abia State capital on allegations of illegal possession
of firearms, an aftermath of their clash with the Hausa/Fulani herdsmen.
Governor Ugwuanyi
while commending the Ugwuleshi community for the peaceful way they had
conducted themselves since March 17, 2016 when their men and sons were taken to
Umuahia, described the crisis as a security matter which had earlier occurred
at Uzo Uwani and Nsukka council areas, among the villagers and visiting
Hausa/Fulani herdsmen, but were resolved through the intervention of the state
government.
He, therefore, stated
that “the present menace in Ugwuleshi community will by the special grace of
God be settled, so that both parties will continue to live harmoniously.”
Ugwuanyi emphasized
that he was personally moved to visit the community to appeal for calm because
his administration was doing everything possible to ensure an that enabling
environment of peace was maintained in Enugu, as a measure of attracting
investors into the state.
The Enugu state
commissioner of Police, CP Nwodibo Ekechukwu,who accompanied Governor Ugwuanyi
in the visit, advised the community to avoid taking laws into their hand but
report to security agencies at any point in time if they found a group of
cattle rearers grazing on their farm crops.
He assured that the
police must ensure that the perpetrators were dealt with accordingly and
prosecuted in the law court, to serve as a deterrent to others.
Earlier in his Speech,
Hon Toby Okechukwu, the House of Reps Chairman, committee on works, called on the
National Assembly to pass into law, a policy creating restricted grazing area
for herdsmen in various parts of the country, as measure of curtailing the
constant clashes among wandering Hausa/Fulani herdsmen and rural farmers in
various parts of the country.
He identified the
effects of climatic change resulting in desertification of various parts of
Northern Nigeria and the Boko Haram threat in North East zone of the country as
a factor compelling the Fulani/Hausa herdsmen to move further South with their
cattle where there were abundant vegetation and that there was nothing anybody
could do about it.
“Therefore, to
forestall emerging crisis with rural farmers in various communities, specific
grounds should be mapped out as grazing fields for the wandering Hausa/Fulani
herdsmen”, he said.
Many stakeholders and
political stakeholders of the community, among whom are the transitional
chairman of Awgu council area, Hon Stanley Okeke, Hon Nelson Uduji, member
representing Awgu South Constituency and Barrister Damian Ajah, commented on
the efforts they had made to secure bail of the detained communities members,
which were hampered by the Easter Holidays.
The Traditional ruler
of Ugwuleshi Community, Igwe Godwin Okosisi, on behalf of his cabinet commended
Governor Ugwuanyi for making out time out of his busy schedule to come and
identify with them in their pains.
He assured that the
community will never take laws into their hands but tow the line of justice, in
seeking for peaceful resolution of the crisis.
The Youth Leader of
the community, Mr Ugochukwu Okeke, also spoke in the same direction. He stated
in his address, “We are here because of Governor Ugwuanyi’s visit. We are law
abiding citizens. We don’t want the problem to escalate.”
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