The incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers have been described as unhealthy development towards the country’s quest for food self-sufficiency.
Emma Nwabuko, the principal secretary to Abia State Governor stated this while addressing women from Bende LGA who staged a peaceful demonstration in the Government House, Umuahia to complain about the destruction of their crops by cattle.
He said that the situation called for urgent attention by the federal and state governments, pointing out that the anti-grazing bill before the senate was the antidote that would bring lasting solution to the problem.
Nwabuko who lamented that farmers were undergoing a lot of hardship due to the destruction of their farmlands by herdsmen said the Abia state government was not folding its arms as it had complained to the federal government to look into the matter to avert a breakdown of law and order.
He said the state government would not rest in its efforts to find a lasting solution to the menace, adding that government would soon convene a meeting with the leadership of the Hausa community in the state with a view to drawing their attention to the menace and the need for them to call their kinsmen to order.
Comfort Nwachukwu, one of the spokespersons for the group, earlier in her speech said their visit was to appeal to the state government to come to their aid over the destruction of their farmland and constant harassment and intimidation by Fulani herdsmen.
She lamented that their crops were always ravaged by cows while some of their kinsmen had been attacked by herdsmen over time, pointing out that they now live in perpetual fear of attack by the Fulani herdsmen.
UDOKA AGWU, UMUAHIA
