Why herdsmen, farmers carnage must stop – Prof. Agada
Former Minister of state for Education and Chairman Benue State Civil Service Commission, Prof. Jerry Anthony Agada has said that the herdsmen and farmers clash in the state is not necessary but lasting peace should be sorted that will prevail.
The former minister spoke with Daily Times in Makurdi after the mass burial extended to about 74 farmers killed on New Year day in two local government areas of the state saying that “the incessant killing in the state by suspected Fulani Herdsmen is farfetched in the sense that it did not start today”.
He explained the prevailing situations and factors responsible for the crisis in the state that, as the “Food Basket of the nation’, the only Industry that strive here is farming which is being destroyed by cattle.
“Of late, you discover that herds of cattle brought by ‘Herdsmen’ diverts into people’s farmland to eat up these crops, destroying farmland, farm produce and everything in such a way that the acronym, “Food Basket of the Nation” is becoming eroded because the farm that the food produce comes from, are being destroyed while the people do not have any other thing to do than farming, so, whatever you do to encroach into that principle of farming means dealing with them negatively which is not liked by the people. This is the cause of the problems between the Fulani herdsmen and the farmers here because when their cattle come, go into the farms and destroy the farm produce there will be trouble.
According to Prof. Agada, “I remember in those days when some of us were in the primary school, we used to see Fulani herdsmen with their cattle moving peacefully in single terrain with their wives and children; settle in an area after some times, move ahead to another location without encroaching into anybody’s compound or farmland. This time around, the types of herdsmen we have are different from that of the yesteryears, carrying sophisticated rifle instead of the normal stick (Shepherd stick) we knew”.
He decried the killing of human beings for cattle and jargons like cattle rustling which were not known with the Fulanis of yesteryears adding, “Nobody has the free will to kill a fellow human for animals, it is not good”, he said.
The onetime Chairman of Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA), revealed that: “When the State Government enacted the ‘Anti Grazing Law’, the herdsmen union ‘Miyetti Allah’ felt that it was a law that encroaches on their rights for they should be allowed to graze anywhere anyhow. The government is saying farming is our industry here so you cannot graze anyhow to destroy our industry for if we allow you to do that then we shall not have a livelihood anymore. As a people, we should look for a law that can curb that and that is the problem”.
He accredited the rising problems to the Social Media which he described as ‘Peoples Talk’ “Somebody will stand up and say what is not true or happening and will begin to post them on the social media and some people will tend to believe”.
Tom Okpe, Abuja
