‘Why communities suffer frequent attacks from herdsmen’

Nsukka indigenes canvass indigenous cattle ranches

The frequency with which suspected herdsmen attack their host communities would have been reduced but for the “grazing fees” some traditional rulers and leaders of communities allegedly demand and collect from them.

Transition Council Chairman for Uzouwani Local Council in Enugu State, Mr. Coronel Onwubuya, stated this yesterday while testifying at the judicial commission of Inquiry into the killing of people and destruction of property in Nimbo community, saying that the “illegal fees” empower the marauders to do anything.

His revelation came as the Secretary to Enugu State Government (SSG), Mr. Gabriel Aja, tendered a list of members of the state security council, who attended the security council meeting held in the state on the eve of the April 25, 2016 attack on Nimbo community by suspected herdsmen.

Meanwhile, the Nsukka General Assembly in Enugu State wants the establishment of indigenous cattle ranches as a panacea for the security threats posed by grazing in rural communities of the state.

Its President, Prof. Lawrence Ochor, said that such ranches would be constructed and managed by the indigenes of the areas with the assistance of the state government.

Onwubuya, who told the panel that the herdsmen were often embodied to carry out certain unholy activities which included destruction of farmlands and attack on their host communities after paying the fees, which he described as illegal, said: “My investigations have shown that some traditional rulers and other members of the communities collect money from the herdsmen to give them pass to graze in the areas.

“I also want to say that because they pay such money, they are now empowered to do anything. They destroy farms and attack people because to them, it is nothing. That is what my investigation has shown.”

Prof. Ochor, who presented the position of Nsukka General Assembly, noted that the frictions between local communities and suspected herdsmen, which had led to loss of lives and property in several of the communities, had left wounds difficult to heal.

He said that the only way to maintain peace between the two parties was to ensure that no landed property belonging to the locals was forfeited on permanent basis for grazing or ranching.

“What happened during the Nimbo community invasion appeared to be a planned attack with ulterior motives.

“Therefore, part of our recommendation is for the state government to assist our people construct indigenous ranches which would be managed by our own people.

“If we are able to produce the milk and beef we need, there will be no need for cattle to roam about in our communities,” he said.

Ochor said that herdsmen from other parts of the country would also do business in such ranches, as there were no laws barring any Nigerian from trading legitimately in any part of the country.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to take necessary steps to compensate the families of the deceased as well as rehabilitate other victims, particularly the women who were raped by the suspected herdsmen.