Vacate our land, Delta community tells Fulani herdsmen

The people of Obiaruku community, Ukwani Local Government Area, Delta State, have told Fulani herdsmen to vacate their land following incessant violent attacks on their indigenes by the herdsmen.

Eight residents of the community were held hostage by Fulani herdsmen in a farmland for over seven hours on April 26, 2016, a development that caused panic in the community.

 Speaking, yesterday, on the resolution of the community, its Youth Leader, Mr Chika Uwabuofu, said: “After they (Fulani herdsmen) released our people, the next day, the Delta State Committee on Conflict Resolution, Chairman of Ukwani council, our community leaders, vigilante group members and representatives of the Fulani herdsmen met.

“At that meeting, we told them that we want Fulani herdsmen to leave our land and we were told to come up with a resolution and another meeting was fixed for Friday. On that day, the Fulani people failed to attend the meeting.

“As a community, we resolved that Fulani herdsmen carrying out grazing activities on our land must leave so that our farmers can go back to their farms freely without any harassment. We resolved that no cow must go across River Ethiope to graze.

“Today (yesterday) we sent our vigilante members to the bush to search, but for now, they are no longer there. We are appealing to the state and federal governments to pay compensation to our farmers whose farm produce had been destroyed by the herdsmen.

We also thank the state government and our council chairman for all they have done to restore peace to the community.”

Sources: Vanguard