“When Government told us to go back to farming, we obeyed expeditiously and similarly sensitised our People, including young graduates towards doing same. But now, the fear of the killer Herdsman is keeping us at Home. Here in Jattu, here in Uzairue, we don’t go to farm again. Those who dare to go must go in company of folks”. With these words, Chief Mathias Momoh (MM), Etsako-West, Edo State Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) kick started the discussion which centred on the incessant destruction of crops, rape and killings by the evil invaders and engendered this report.
Words are scarcely adequate to describe the gory picture now created in the psyche of much of the Citizenry by the Herdsmen’s unprovo ked and unprecedented attacks on our farmlands and Communities. It is even more worrisome that farming or agripreneur as a viable economic recovery option is being frustrated by these attacks.
On Friday June 1, 2017, the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki visited the families of Mrs Christiana Ariu from Eko-Ojeme Quarters and Mrs Martina Emonyon from Uzogolo quarters both in Ewu Community who were raped and killed by suspected Fulani Herdsmen in Ewu Communty of Esan Central Local Government Area (LGA)of Edo State. While commiserating with the bereaved families, he urged farmers to always report suspicious movements to the Security agents.
Only last week as well, the State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu visited the home of Bartholomew Omomoh, an Educationist in Elele-Uzairue to commiserate with the family of an Ekperi Woman who was murdered in the farm by these suspected Boko Haram Invaders.
Yes apprehensions are high that the dreaded insurgents may have infiltrated the ranks of the Herdsmen and other criminal elements in Edo State and environs!
From South through Central to Edo North, from Ajatitan to Iyuku; from Sasaro to Warrake; from Ewu to Jattu, from Igarra to Auchi, there are near innumerable cases of rape, kidnapping and killings every other day.
In Edo North, some of the identified flashpoints along the highways that crinimals use as entry and exit points include: the reserve forest between Uluoke and Igbira camp, before Okpella: Oile River Hill before Warrake Junction, Owan East LGA; Isami River, between Egbigere and the Hill before Igarra town in Akoko-Edo LGA, to mention a few. With sincerity of purpose on the part of all stakeholders, especially Security agents, the remaining points can be identified and policed.
The forest stretching from Egeonu through Warrake to Sobe and Railway axis around Ogbagol in Etsako-Central, as investigations have revealed, provides comfortable base for the itinerant invaders, with opinion high that Boko Haram could very well be in our midst. There are many more Farm settlements, Harmlets, Camps to be searched. Lest I forget, the Egiegbai of Ekperi, Alhaji Sheikh Kanoba (JP) raised this alarm not too long ago” Boko Haram Terrorists are in my Domain”, he said.
Now these evil Men whose stories we were reading in the Newspapers a couple of months back and whose operations in Benue State, Enugu, Ondo, Core North, the original inhabitants would prefer not to remember, now seem to be ubiquitous!
What is the way out of this debacle? Should the People leave their ancestral Homes, Harmlets and Communities for the Invaders? How can the overwhelmed Nigeria Police Force be helped?
Comrade Sunday Amuku, (Stay Cool), is the Edo State Second Vice Chairman and the Akoko-Edo Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). He spoke to this Writer and made feasible submissions which could provide the panacea if judiciously applied:” Let Government engage the Hunters, give them the necessary incentives to comb the forests and farmlands”, he asserted.
“The first group of People to be invited are the Hunters. They know the forests and know who owe which farmland. The ones in Igarra know the ones in Sasaro. They often meet in the Bush and can identify strange faces and movements easily”, Stay Cool stressed.
Continuing he said,”Next is the Vigilante group in the Clans and LGA. Government should further sensitize them to work with Hunters and the Police for intelligence reports, patrol and arrests”.
” In all of these, the role of the Hunter who knows the farmlands is very important. If government can give them orientation and empower them to comb the forests, the menace of the Herdsmen or their allies will stop”,
The Union Chairman added that NURTW has charged its Members to report any suspicious movements on the Roads with alacrity.
The Chairman of the East Flank of Akoko-Edo Animal Hunters Association, comprising of Igarra, Ikpeshi, Ewan, Akuku. Ososo, Atte, Uneme ‘Nekhua and Egbigere, Mr Joseph Balogun corroborated the words of Stay Cool and added that meetings are already going on in several zones across the State in line with Governor Obaseki’s directive.
“We are getting organised and meeting with Colleagues in other places. Its is the only way out if we don’t want to be driven out of our places of habitation by the Herdsmen and their accomplices”, he said.
“Some people we accommodated out of kindness are now bringing in criminals. Government should check the activities of Village Heads and give us logistics. Also new entrants who claim to be working in companies should carry identity Cards. We will work with Vigilantes and Police and government should give us the right orientation”, Balogun emphasised.
“Even with many youths migrating to the City, many of us love hunting. We have Lecturers and Graduates as Members,” he added
Generally the onslaught of these evil Men and reactions some of which are captured above make expedient the pragmatic application of Community policing strategy. I recall that a Conference on community policing was organised during the tenure of Mr Solomon Arase as Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and several papers were presented as to how our communities and country sides can be polic ed. What has happened to the communique of that Conference?
It is a high time the Nigeria Police Force as presently headed by IGP Ibrahim Idris started applying community policing fomulae to securing our farmlands, communities and environment
Just now, I’d like to sum up by urging the Edo State government to produce the know-your-neighbour-jingle in Edo, Esan and Afenmai languages and broadcast it to the People through the Radio, Television and the Town Crier.
Balarabe Oshiafi, a Journalist and Public Relations Practitioner writes from Iyuku-Uzairue, Edo State.
