Herdsmen crisis: Otukpo, Ado, Okpokwu council chairmen meet security agencies, traditional rulers, Fulani cattle breeders; insist on ranching 

In a bid to stamp out the ugly tide of insecurity in their respective territories, three Local Government Chairmen from Benue South, Rt.Hon. George Alli, Hon. James Oche and Hon. (Mrs.) Amina Audu, of Otukpo, Ado and OKpokwu Local Government Council respectively, on Thursday held a meeting with traditional leaders, security agencies and leaders of Fulani herdsmen at the palace of the traditional leader of Utonkom, HRH. Chief Mathew Ogbu Egede.

The host and Chairman of Ado Local Government, Hon. James Oche welcomed everyone. He said him and his colleagues from Otukpo and Okpokwu local government decided to call the meeting due to increasing complaints of security concerns bothering on killings, kidnappings, armed robbery, raping and destruction of farmers crops and farmlands, which are largely attributed to some criminal Fulani herdsmen.

HRH. Chief Mathew Ogbu Egede, the A’Ado and the Och’Otukpo Odu, Chief Dr. John Eimonye, all in their submissions recalled the good old days when they as young farmers lived peacefully side by side with Fulani herdsmen and their wives. They described as strange the attitude of some of the Fulani herdsmen who now bear arms and other dangerous weapons and move about without their wives and children, destroying people’s farms and unleashing terror on farming communities as “strange, condemnable and totally unacceptable”. they implored all good Fulanis to corporate with and join hands with leaders of their host communities to flush out all criminal elements within their midst.

Speaking further, the Ado LG Chairman said as leaders they won’t fold their hands and watch their people being slaughtered, raped and maimed in their farm lands anymore. He said Fulani herdsmen who wants to live within any community within the zone must abide by relevant laws of the land. He said Benue state government policy on ranching of all domestic animals remain sacrosanct. He reechoed the question put to the Fulani leaders if they are for war or for peace; to which they said they are for peace.

On her part, Hon. Amina Audu, the Executive Chairman of Okpokwu said her position is the same with the position of her colleagues and the traditional leaders from the three local government. She narrated the ordeals of her people have been suffering in the hands of criminal fulani herdsmen who rapes women, kill people in their farms after destroying their crops to feed their cattle. The Okpokwu Chairman said she has severally mobilized the youths to go after the criminals who continue to use Adiga forest to launch attacks on her people; warning that as a council they will no longer tolerate any form of violence, enough is enough.

The ALGON Chairman of Zone C and Executive Chairman of Otukpo LG, Rt.Hon. George Alli told the gathering that it has become increasingly difficult for cattle and crops to be live side by side in today’s Nigeria. He insisted that all cattle within the territories must be ranched as there is no option to ranching as far as Benue state is concerned. Alli also said the whole country is now in agreement with Governor Samuel Ortom concerning ranching of all cattle including other livestocks in Benue .

Alh. Risku Mohammed, leader of the Fulani delegation to the meeting and Chairman of Myatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Benue State thanked the leaders for convening the meeting. He said he and his group are willing to abide by the conditions spelt out by their host. Alh. Mohammed who was born and bred in Benue State, condemned in totally the raping of women and other acts criminality, including kidnapping. He said any herder who indulges in criminality, when caught, should be dealt with acc…`

By: Desmond Oogwu