By Gabriel Elozino, Delta State
Uwheru Kingdom, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, has bemoaned, renewed herdsmen attacks in the community appealing to relevant security authorities to come to their rescue.
The community also cried foul over the way the police handled the issue of a suspected herder, apprehended by the community indigenes in a bush and handed over to the police in the Ughelli A division, but was released without any investigation.
It could be recalled that the kingdom sometime ago came under serious attack by the herdsmen, which led to loss of lives of indigenes of the community.
The kingdom in the aftermath of the attacks stopped consumption of cow meat in the area.
Speaking to newsmen on the ordeal of his people, President General of the kingdom, Chief Macpherson Egbedi, said they suspect and other fleeing herders were found destroying their farmland.
He said, “if you remember some years back, ten persons were killed and they did mass burial for them. The entire state, the entire nation were aware of it. This time again, they have come and they have started the destruction of our farmlands, raping women and killing people in the bush.
“We want the government to please come to our rescue because there is nothing we can do, they came with their machine guns, everything with them, we have no power to fight them. They are already in the bush trying to start the same way they have been destroying our crops and killing people.
“He was caught with the effort of the entire community any moment from now they will overpower everybody and the same destruction will take place and at the end there will be starvation because the women will stop going to be bush. So we want the government to come to our aid.
“When they came yesterday, the came with over 30,000 cows. You can imagine when 30,000 cows pass through your land eating. So when we saw them we are concern and we inform the police, SSS, and other security agencies.”
Also speaking, an elderly woman from the community, Mrs Otejiro Christiana Etagbedia lamented the destruction of their farms and raping of the women, describing it disastrous to the community.
“90 percent of the people of this community are farmers. This farming work is what we are using to live our life. There is no higher institution in this community, there is no company in this Kingdom. Everywhere that Fulani know that we are planting, they will come from their place to destroy our farms.
“They put us in hunger. This is what we use to train our children. Since Fulani are destroying our farms it has been difficult for us to train our children. For the past three days, the Fulani herdsmen have entered into our farms and have been destroying the few crops that we have planted, driving people.
“We want the government to come to our aid because this situation is very bad. How can we live without food, how can we live without money, how can we train our children? Government should please help up.”
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