Umuahia CRISIS is looming in
Ndiolumbe Nvosi Autonomous Community in Isiala Ngwa South Council of Abia
between the people and
Fulani herdsmen over the refusal of the natives to allow
the Fulani herdsmen graze their cattle.
But the Fulani herdsmen have
insisted that they would remain in the community graze t in their land and they
have gone ahead to camp in the community and graze their cattle. Already,
members of the community are lamenting that the herdsmen have caused a lot of
devastation to their farmlands and crops which they valued at millions of
naira.
The Abia state Government has
however assured that there was no cause for alarm, saying that the matter would
be amicably resolved. The traditional ruler of Ndiolumbe Nvosi, Eze Godwin Ogbonna,
informed journalists Wednesday, that when the destruction of their farmlands
became unbearable, youths in the area approached the herdsmen and asked them to
leave their community. According to the monarch, it was a peaceful engagement
which saw the herdsmen relocate to another part of the community.
Eze Ogbonna however said that the
community was shocked and surprised when one Mohammed Shuaibu came from Okigwe,
Imo State, to query the community over their decision not to allow the Fulani
herdsmen on their land. “One Mohammed Shuaibu came from Okigwe. He was very
furious and queried why the community should drive the herdsmen away. He said
the herdsmen were ready to pay compensation for damaged crops and insisted that
they must be allowed to come back to the community.
“We told them that we don’t need
their compensation; all we want was for them to vacate our land. He told me
that they (herdsmen) had conducted a survey of our community and found it
extremely suitable for grazing” Eze Ogbonna said. The monarch said his people
are now living in fear because of the position taken by Mohammed Shuaibu,
saying that after storming out of his palace, he said the herdsmen would be
back next Monday to negotiate the compensation for the damaged crops to enable
them to return to the community.
“He has been calling me constantly
on the phone. We are very frightened that if the matter was not urgently
resolved, the herdsmen may invade our community. Already women are afraid of
going to the farms as the herdsmen now climb treetops to keep vigilance while
their cattle graze”, Eze Ogbonna said. He called on the Abia State Government
to urgently intervene to save his community from any ugly incident, pointing
out that he had already reported the matter to the state government as well as
the Council chairman.
It was learnt that the state
government has waded into the matter through the Security Adviser to the
Governor, Captain Awah Udonsi.
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