Famine looms as herdsmen lord over locals farmers in Delta

Osissa, Aradhe, Abra­ka, Uwheru and Ohoro are all agrar­ian communities in Delta State whose products are ferried to metropolitan towns like Warri, Sapele, Agbor and Asaba but famine looms in the state as farmers in these communities have downed tools over incessant attacks by herdsmen who have become lords to these locals.

It is in the light of this that hundreds of women from Ohoro community on Janu­ary 18, grounded all forms of vehicular movement along the ever-busy East/West road while passengers including the Assistant In­spector General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Abubakar Muhammad where strand­ed for over 5hours while the women held sway on the road.

Recounting their ordeal, a women leader in the com­munity, Roselyn Umukoro, said: recently, they suspected herdsmen raped three preg­nant women in the commu­nity and maimed a man and his son who attempted to confront them.

Umuokoro said what in­furiated the women and trigger off the recent protest was that a housewife, who went early to the farm, was attacked by herdsmen for re­fusing their sexual advances. He said the cry of the wom­an, abandoned in a pool of her blood by her attackers attracted sympathizers, who took her to a pharmacy in the community for medica­tion. This act according to her subsequently led them to sealed the East-West road in protest

For fear of being com­pletely annihilated by the herdsmen some communi­ty members now pay hom­ages to the herdsmen over their right to still remain in the own community.

The President General of Uwheru community, Chief Ogarivi Utso while citing the case of the chairman of Ogu­name village under his com­munity one Chief Edward Eyamu who was made to pay N10, 000 weekly to one Gar­ba or quit his residency of the community, hinted that another chief in the commu­nity, Chief Paul Ovieba was compelled to pay N70,000 to the herdsmen before em­barking on his fishing activ­ity at the Owarien River.

Describing the herdsmen as lords and government in a sovereign state, Utso said: “These outrageous taxes range from N10, 000 to N100, 000 per individual depending on the terms and conditions applied.

“Presently, there is not a single indigene residing at Port Avwo, Akabanisi and Oguname communi­ties as these herdsmen have claimed ownership of these areas having chased away residents of the area from their abode.” H.e said

The police and other se­curity agents are expected to curb the excesses of these herdsmen, are also victims of ruthless herdsmen as they kidnap of the Divisional Po­lice Officer (DPO) in charge of ‘C’ Division, Asaba, SP Valentine Mbalu and his subsequent death has sent more chills down the spines of civilians.

Even when these herds­men are prosecuted they are defiance to court order and ruling as it assumed that they have godfathers back­ing them.