Nigeria: Rivers farmers protest herders attacks
By Ahmad Hadizat Omayoza, Mamos Nigeria
Numerous farmers in Rivers State’s Tai Local Government Area have voiced their disapproval of the alleged invading herdsmen and attacks on their farms.
The abused ranchers who raged Sakpenwa, the board central command, on Tuesday, said their harvests were by and large over and over annihilated by the herders.
The protesting ranchers are from Gbakee, Ken-koro and Knani-na networks in the nearby government.
The head of the dissidents, Achievement Barine, while addressing columnists, said numerous ranchers had escaped because of the herders’ assaults.
While noticing that they went after a lady and gathered her ranch produce, Barine engaged the board specialists to come to their aid.
“This woman went to the farm to harvest cassava, not knowing that these people (herdsmen) were hiding in the bush,” she stated.
They came out with guns, chased the women, and then gave their cows all the cassava she had harvested.
“They let the lady know that they will return suddenly into the towns where the ladies reside to go after them.
“Presently our kin are undependable and our ladies are in dread due to the assertion and dangers from them.”
Mbakpone Okpe, chairman of the local government, addressed the women and promised to form a task force of security agencies to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice.
Okpe said, “We are utilizing this medium to pursue that proprietors of cows in our space ought to leave our territory for harmony to rule.
“They can’t involve cows which they use for their endurance to come and annihilate our cassava and sweet potato ranches. As ranchers, this is our method for endurance
“Besides the fact that they eating and annihilating are our harvests, they are equipping themselves and going after individuals.”
He guaranteed inhabitants of the impacted networks that some help will be given to the ranchers to empower them to get back to their homesteads.
Essentially, ranchers in pieces of Oyigbo Nearby Government Region of the state have raised the alert over expanded instances of assaults on them by thought furnished herders.
The head of the ranchers, Uche Onu, told writers on Tuesday that ranchers in certain networks in the space had been gone after and driven out of their homes by the herders.
“Herders are going after our kin, undermining them, assaulting ladies, cutting a few ranchers with blades and our harvests are being obliterated,” he said.
He stated that the Oyigbo Divisional Police Officer was informed of the situation.
The representative for the state police order, Elegance Iringe-Koko, couldn’t be gone after a response as of the hour of documenting this report as her cell phone was not interfacing.
She still couldn’t seem to answer to an instant message shipped off her as of press time on Tuesday.
