Tension rises in Enugu Communities under siege of suspected Fulani Herdsmen menace

From Maurice Okafor.

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Introduction….. In this write up,Mr MAURICE OKAFOR narrates the precarious state of rural farmers in Achi,other communities in Oji River Council area and Enugu state generally, as the menace of suspected Fulani herdsmen have become an endemic culture threatening subsistence farming,which is the major occupation of the state rural dwellers, who approximately form over 70 percent of indigent population of the state.

There are heightening tension in several hamlets and communities of Ahani-Achi and other neighbouring towns in  Oji River local government area of Enugu state,over continued destruction of   their farmlands by  suspected Fulani herdsmen while grazing their cattle. In the past six years or thereabout,there have been gory tales of how the herders deliberately convert farm lands planted in distant forests away from village settlements into grazing fields. The most serious pain in the neck of these rural farmers at the moment is the fact that the herders have adopted the strategy of uprooting cassava roots and tubers to feed their cattle, thereby living nothing for the farmers to harvest and take home to assuage the cost of their labour.

Currently the rural farmers who have been under siege of the alleged Fulani herdsmen menace in the past five years are in  fears and contemplating not to embark on their usual but annual subsistence farming in distant forests[ commonly referred as Agu] over threat to lives by the wandering herders who have unlawfully over run most of the forests.Instances of maiming and killing of rural farmers whom the herders coincidentally met in his or her farms abound in several communities in Achi. Mrs Roseline Ezeh, from Oruchi hamlet Ahani -Achi,escaped her untimely death by whiskers,after she was attacked by a suspected Fulani herdsmen while returning from her farm on Tuesday,November 16,2021 evening.

According to her,She was carrying a load of palm fruits on her head  going back to the village while the herder was coming from the opposite direction. On a very close range,he[the herder] gave her a sign language  to keep silence. But raged in fears, She started screaming and calling on the name of Jesus Christ to come to her rescue. She lamented the herder matcheted her twice on the neck and when she eventually fell to the ground, he hit her severally with a big wooden stick. But by the special grace of God, at a point she was able to wage the stick and it broke in to two, with the herder falling to the ground with one of the broken piece. At that point,She stood up from her pool of blood and started shouting while running home, Luckily,her sceaming attracted the attention of her villagers,who instantly rushed her for medical treatment.

Mrs Roseline Ezeh[See pix] even though discharged from hospital, is still nursing the wounds of the matchet cuts on her neck and bruises on her face. She said her husband and other relations has continued to foot her medical bills.

It was gathered that Mrs Eze  ugly experience is one out of many gory tales of threat to life and menace of suspected Fulani herdsmen in Achi and other neighbouring towns in Oji River local government area of Enugu state. By the special grace of God, She  was fortunate to have survived the attack unlike  the massacre of late Mr Eugene Anayo Iloabana, a rural farmer from Amankpunato- Achi  who havewas matcheted to death in his farm  on Monday,June 29,2020, by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

 His lifeless body was found in a pool of his blood by a search party organised by his villagers,when it became abundantly clear  that he went to distant  farm[Agu] on that particular date and did not return like others. The villagers  protested with  his lifeless body the next day the unlawful invasion of their famrlands,maiming and killing of innocent rural farmers by suspected Fulani herdsmen to Oji River local government headquarter and thereafter to Enugu state government house,but the menace persists. 

Some other  ugly incidences of  Fulani herdsmen menace in Ahani- Achi community  occured at Mile 3 farming forests[ Agu Ahani], where the herders with their cattle pushed down the walls to an uncompleted estate building, and over ran several hectares of farm land cultivated by the rural farmers. It was gathered that  four of the cows were arrested by officials  of Oji River Chapter of Enugu state Forest Guards,  but released after four days. The issue of prosecuting the owners of such cows as provided by the law from all indication was not treated. .

Rural women farmers from Gbaragu village are also lamenting the ravaging of their farmlands and uprooting of cassava roots as food for the cows  by suspected Fulani herdsmen. They are in utmost pains and dire need of financial assistance from concerned authorities, the Oji River local government authority, the Enugu state government and charitable organizations. They lamented that the herders went as far as uprooting the  cassava roots to feed  their cattle and left them with nothing to harvest, after all their toils.

 Rural farmers at ‘Inyinkpume-Okpuno Ahani- Achi farm land are also in great pains over the devastation of their farm crops by ravaging Fulani herdsmen rearing their cattle in the past one month .Several hectares of cassava plants in the area that were trampled upon by the cattle will hardly survive,based on the fact that the rains have stopped, an eyewitness said.

The siimilar complaint also came from rural farmers in Umuelewe Village of Ahani Achi. In all, Rural farmers from other communities like Amaetiti-Achi, ,Adu-Achi and Ehuhe -Achi communities,who usually have their farmland base along the bank of Oji River waters [culturally referred as Ezi Agu] by the indigents  are in serious pains over destruction of  huge farms by wandering herdsmen. Many are lamenting o n how to raise fund for the next planting season, which has started with bush clearing.

Checks revealed that the entire communities in Achi,Akpugoeze, Awlaw, Inyi, Ugwuoba and others in  Oji River local government area produce their major staple foods of Garri,Foofo,Tapioca[sliced cassava],cassava flour from Cassava. Therefore, they  have a culture of planting cassava and Yams massively as  their  major crops annually in distant farms[Agu]. But the meance of herdsmen on these farms have seriously impacted negatively on the survival and economy of these rural farmers. Who in addition to producing for their families,also sell some of these produce[Garri,Foofo,Tapioca] in the local markets,to raise money for other expenses.

It wasb found out that the original base or quarters that serves as cattle/cow depot in Oji River local government area is at Ugwuoba popularly known as Gariki Ugwuoba, a boarder community in Enugu state that leads into Awka, the Anambra state capital. But the cattle herders have taken the law into their hands to move randomly and re locate to any forest of their choice in any of the communities in Achi,Akpugoeze,Awlaw, Inyi etc and devastate farmlands while grazing their cattle,without any apology to anybody. Instead, the heightening ugly incidences of killing and maimimg rural farmers, who they coincidentally met on the farms.

It was gathered from sources,who dont want to mentioned in print that reasons why the herders devised the strategy of killing rural farmers who they met on the farms is bascially to instill fears on ther rural farmers to forgo  their culture of coming to farm in distant forests[Agu] but to plant within the forests that surrounds their village settlements.  The assertion might not be far from reality since there are no reported case of missing limbs of any rural farmer who was found killed in his or her farm by the suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Investigations reveal that the menace of Fulani herdsmen on farmlands of rural farmers in the past five or six years or there about have adversely affected most rural communities in Enugu state. Almost every community in the state have it’s own sad story to tell.Many of the communities have equally tried up to put up a resistance against the atrocious menace but it has continued unabated.

Some analysts hold the view that the state government policies and actions against the wicked acts are seemingly treated with hand gloves. The implemantation of the several policies/agreements  reached after several  truce with representatives of the Fulani community/herders in Enugu state suffers weak implementation.  

The chairman of Enugu State Chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria[AFAN],Mr Romanus Eze, was recently reported in the media to be lamenting of still contnuing destruction of farmlands in Enugu state by herders,stating that farmers are even afraid of going to their farms,over fears of being killed,kidnapped or raped.

His words,’ Herders are destroying most farms in Enugu state,especially those in large clusters inside the bush. Farmers are even afraid to go to their farms because they may be killed,kidnapped or raped’ .  He described the development as a serious challenge. He mentioned Anuka Community in Nsukka local government area, as an instance of a farm cluster where crops have been destroyed with impunity by herders. He said the herders also uproot the roots and give to their cows.

According to the Chairman of Enugu state farmers Association,Mr Romanus Eze,Rural farmers in Enugu state are yet to fill the impact of the anti -Open grazing  law signed by Governor Ugwuanyi,in the month of September, this year. He lamented that  there were several complaints on the herders menace to both the Forest guards,DSS and Enugu state police commissioner,but non yielded positive result in curtailing the menace so far.

He suggested that the way out of the quagmire is for the state government to post security and extension officers to secure and guard the farm lands in the forest. Also to encourage the forest guards to guard the forests against herders. He also suggested for the government to reach a fresh understanding with the herders.

His words,’ Government should call the head of herders to sign a new memorandum of understanding on security ‘.

Economy experts have allayed fears that the  menace of Fulani herdsmen in Enugu state poses a great danger to the lives and economic survival of it’s people since over Seventy percent of it’s approximated population lives in the rural areas,with subsistence farming as their major occupation and source of income under serious threat.

Even as the farming season will soon commence  with clearing of  bushes  for cultivation,most of the rural farmers are living in fears of going to distant forests where they can cultivate large farms,for fear of attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The End.

Additional Pix……. Gov.Ugwuanyi