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Enugu community rural dwellers protest killing of farmer by suspected Fulani herdsmen

MAURICE OKAFOR writes that the wrath of rural dwellers in the twelve villages of Achi, a town in Oji River local government area of Enugu state, against wandering cattle rearing Fulani herdsmen worsened penultimate week, as a farmer was found butchered in his village farm at Amankpunato Achi community by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The late farmer, Mr. Eugene Anayo Iloabana had left for his distant farm [Ugbo -agu] early in the morning, based on the fact that rural farmers in Achi have a culture of planting their large farms at distant forests[agu] in addition to the ones cultivated close to their family homes. His non return till late evening, prompted both his immediate and extended family members in the community to initiate a search party to fish him out.

Unfortunately, they found his lifeless body lying in his own pool of blood in his farm.
The lifeless body was found with deep cuts in several places on his face and the neck.

Confirming the incident to newsmen in Enugu yesterday, Lolo Barr. Lady Gbugbu,the wife of the Igwe of Amankpunato autonomous community said the deceased left for his farm on Monday, June 29, in the morning hours ,but when he did not come back in the evening, the villagers organised themselves into search parties. But found his ” butchered” lifeless body on getting to his farm.

Barr. Mrs Chinyere Gbugu disclosed that the incident was the second of it’s type within Amanmkpunato community in recent time, perpetrated to rural farmers by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

She pointed that the community is still under pains of invasion of their farmlands and destruction of new growing crops by suspected Fulani herdsmen, an incident which was appropriately reported to security agencies.

The AUTHORITY checks revealed that even though, the Amamkpunato Achi rural community dwellers have reported the killing of Mr Eugene Iloabana officially to the Security agencies, the people are no longer comfortable of non-active response of the government both at the rural, local government and state level in handling the menace of Fulani herdsmen in the area.

To that effect, they took the lifeless body of late Eugene Iloabana in their protest to Oji River local government area headquarters, on Tuesday, June 30[see pix below]. The chairman of Oji River council area, Barr Frank Udemezue seems to be helpless in finding a lasting solution to the menace of suspected Fulani herdsmen in the council area even as he sympathized with the families of the deceased and the entire people of Oji River council area. He called on the stakeholders to work out a lasting solution to halt the menace. A suspect has been arrested.
The rural farmers are forfeiting farming for fear of Fulani herdsmen who have maimed , killed and raped women in their farms.
Investigations revealed that the security apparatus set up by the state government, the neighbourhood watch and forest guards as their name implies do not patrol across farmlands and forests in the rural areas, as measure to monitor and control the menace of farmlands by wandering Fulani herdsmen with their cattle.

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