They Are Like Ebola, Says Delta Monarchs
From Ochei Matthew, Asaba
As the activities of Fulani herdsmen continued unabated in the state, the Aniocha North Local government chairman, Hon. Chuks Oseme has appealed to the Fulani operating in state especially those in Aniocha North council area to desist from alleged killing, robbery, raping and destruction of farm produce of their host communities.
The council boss made the call at the joint meeting with the traditional rulers, the security agent and the Fulani association in the state at the council headquarters in Issele-uku.
“The meeting here today is for us to seek lasting solution on how to keep peace among the 19 communities in the council area between the Fulani and the host communities”
He urged the Fulani to monitor the influx of the Fulanis immigrant and report to appropriate authority.
Also, the traditional rulers of various communities who spoke at the meeting, the Obi of Onicha-ugbo, Obi of Idumuje-unor, Obi of Obior and the Obi of Ukwu-nzu lamented the alleged manner the Fulani cut short the life of one of their member the Obi of Ubulu-uku who was murdered recently.
They alleged that the Fulani cattlemen have destroyed all their farm produce, leaving them with hunger. His words: “our communities don’t have any industries other than farming where we earn our living. They will take their cow into our farm land, watching them destroying our yam, cassava and others that will spend huge amount of money even borrowed money to farm without seeing the produce because of cow. It is very annoying.
“In those days Fulani took their cow along the road eating grasses not farm produce. If you caution them in the bush, they will kill you and they rape our women. Fulani are biting us like Ebola. We are not happy because of the death of one us, the Obi of Ubulu-uku. If it were to be in the North, head will roll,” the monarchs stressed.
They called on the security agencies to check the illegal activities of the Fulani herdsmen, saying “the rate of using gun in rearing of cow is alarming.”
Speaking at the meeting, the executives of the Fulani association of cattlemen who spoke in Hausa through their spokesman, Hon. Alhaji Lawa Imma, admitted that their cow destroyed farm produce but denial that the herdsmen were not involved in killing, robbery and rape of the indigenes.
They disclosed that roving Fulani hoodlums were the ones perpetrating the evil, after which they flee back to the North leaving the law-abiding herdsmen to bear the blame.
The Fulani leaders, who described Chuks Oseme as a man of wisdom and peace for being the first chairman of the 23 council areas where their people occupy out 25 council in the state to meet with them, promised their total support in bringing solutions to the problems between the Fulani and their host communities.
“This is the first chairman to organise meeting with my Fulani people. We assure you, Mr. chairman Sir, that we will do everything possible to bring peace in Aniocha North. We know among us, there is division, especially the Fulani immigrants who comes and give us bad name, they are not cattle rearers; they only come to perpetrate evil but we will monitor them,” Imma stressed.
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