Over 3,000 women of Ishiagu in Ebonyi state, Southeast Nigeria on Friday marched to the Palace of the traditional ruler of the community, HRH Ezego Moses Ngele, in a peaceful protest against the destruction of farm crops by Fulani herdsmen.
The women, made up of mostly peasant elderly farmers, marched to the palace of their monarch, where they demanded urgent action to end the alleged indiscriminate destruction of cash crops and other farm produce by herdsmen grazing their cattle on their farm land.
While chanting songs of solidarity songs with green leaves on their hands, they urged the traditional ruler to prevail on the herdsmen to stop grazing their cattle on their crops.
The women most importantly requested that Fulani herdsmen should be asked to immediately leave the community to save their farm lands and the people from their possible attack and imminent famine.
In her speech the spokesperson for the group, Mrs Janet Aja, decried the destruction of their crops by herdsmen who allow their cattle to feed on their cash crops and other farm produce in their farms, adding that they were at the palace to register their grievances.
She stated that all the.
While expressing fears that the farmers might be left with nothing to harvest, as their crops including yam, cassava and rice, among others, have been destroyed prematurely by the rampaging herdsmen, Aja said that the women in the community, were at present not able to go to their farms for fear of being attacked by the herdsmen.
According to her, “The women are in your palace to inform you that our crops and farm lands are destroyed daily by cattle rearers and that we no longer go to our farms for fear of being attacked, raped or killed.
“Our rice, yams, cassava and other crops in our farms have all been destroyed and eaten up by their cattle.
“We demand urgent action from you as the community father to end the indiscriminate destruction of crops and farm lands by these foreigners.
“We don’t want the killings and destruction we hear that happen in other communities between them and farmers to happen in our own community.”
Aja maintained that the women would employ every peaceful means to ensure that the herdsmen stopped their nefarious acts in the community as well as ensure that they were sent away from the town.
“We hope that your Majesty will handle this situation by providing a lasting solution to the menace otherwise the women of this community will protest naked at Government House in Abakaliki, ” she added.
The Traditional ruler in his reaction commended the women for their peaceful disposition, saying that ‘the palace would collaborate with other stakeholders and security agencies in dealing with the problem.”
He expressed regret over the destruction of economic crops and assured the women that a permanent solution would be found.
“We sympathise with you over on the indiscriminate destruction of your farm lands but want to assure you that we will not relent in our efforts to find a lasting solution to the menace.
“It was good that you first registered your grievances with the palace and this shows the enormous respect you have for the institution and for me.
“We want to assure you that no stone will be left unturned in providing a lasting solution to the problem.”
He assured the women that government is making efforts to stem the security challenges due to the Fulani herdsmen and urged them to remain law-abiding.
Source: http://newsbargeafrica.blogspot.com.ng/
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