Women from Ugwuleshi autonomous community, Awgu local government area, Enugu State on Tuesday protested alleged destruction of farmlands, rape and killing of their natives by suspected fulani herdsmen.
They stated that millions of naira farmlands that included cassava, rice and yam had been destroyed in the last one year, while Ngozika Okolie and her daughter Ukamaka escaped death by whiskers after they were attacked with machetes by herdsmen in their cassava farm last month.
They also demanded the release of the President General of the town union Aron Chidi and the Chief Security Officer (COS) Kingsley Ilo, arrested by the Police last week, over the death of a herder near the community’s border with Ebonyi and Abia States.
The protesting women, who bore placards and green leaves, had told their traditional ruler, Igwe Godwin Nwobi, at his palace that they were dying of hunger as they could no longer go to their farms to plant or harvest their crops due to activities of ramping herdsmen.
They called on the federal and State governments to come to their rescue, saying that they had no other means of livelihood than farming.
Spokesperson of the women, Mrs Felicia Okompi, stated that they had lost millions of farm lands to the activities of the herdsmen, stressing that living was becoming challenging to natives who rely on their farms for upkeep of their families.
“I don’t know how to discuss this. Cattle headers have pursued us from our farm settlement where we planted rice, cocoyam, and cassava to our homes. They destroyed our farms in the name of grazing; now our people are hungry. We are dying of hunger. We rely on our farm produce to train our children in school, we are not civil servants. That is why we are pleading with you to come to our aid”, she stated
She recalled that Onyeka Chukwu and Chidozie Friday were murdered in their farms in 2023 and their bodies severed and bagged, adding that Victor Okafor, escaped with machete cuts on his forehead and a severed finger during an attack on his farmland.
Ngozika Okolie and Victor Okafor, who showed deep cuts they received from the attacks, stated that they were saved by providence.
The traditional ruler of the autonomous community, Igwe Nwobi, who lamented the spate of disturbances by Fulani herdsmen in the area, stated that he was almost forced to leave the community as his subjects could neither enjoy peace nor sleep with their two eyes closed.
“I am calling on the Inspector General of Police to come and help us. You can see the number of women who besieged my residence this morning. We cannot sleep with our two eyes closed. We are confused. There was a time I tried to leave this community but how can you leave your father’s house and run away?
“We keep begging them and calling on those who can talk to them to make these people leave our community. Even recently, they cut somebody’s hand and we keep telling them to please leave our community. Our business is farming. We have no other business. We don’t know what to do. We are at the cross road. Now two of our men are detained at Enugu for something we know nothing about.
“My appeal is to let the state and federal governments come and rescue us. How can you stay in your house and you are afraid? You are afraid of even walking on the road. You leave your house in the morning and are not sure whether you will return alive. It is very bad. It is causing so much trouble for our people. They have nothing to eat. They go to the market and won’t sell or buy anything. They cannot work in their farms because of fear of attack’, the Monarch lamented
He stated that the police last week invited and detained two members of the community over an allegation that a herder was killed near their boundary, stressing that, “we know nothing about the killing”. He said the community had suffered attacks since 2016.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Awgu Local Government Area, Uche Okolo, assured that his administration was doing all in its power to ensure peace and provide security in the area. He stated through his media aide, Tochukwu Chukwu that aside from the various peace meetings that had been held, the hospital bills of all those attacked recently were fully paid.
He also tasked residents to continue their activities in accordance with law and order.
Ends
