Edo women protest against activities of herdsmen

Aggrieved women from Ikabigbo community of Uzairue Kingdom, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, on Tuesday trooped out in their hundreds to demand the immediate evacuation of herdsmen in the locality, saying the presence of the cattle rearers had caused them more harm than good.

The protesting women led a procession to the palace of the traditional ruler of the community Chief Braimah Alegeh, to register their displeasure over what they tagged as wanton destruction of their crops and farmland.

Speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs Rose Ekhalumhe, said that the herdsmen had destroyed their farmland and crops with their cattle.

“They want to create a hunger for us. They will enter our cassava farm, uproot the cassava to feed their cattle and the cattle will destroy the remaining. Yam barns are not spared in this destruction by herdsmen and their cattle,” Ekhalumhe said.

According to her, as farmers, the women could no longer go to their farms as “we are now afraid to go to the farm because many of us have been beaten up and injured by herdsmen for daring to ask them to stop the destruction of our crops and farmlands.”

“So, we are here to let you know that we are tired of their atrocity, we can’t farm any more and the little one we have cultivated have been destroyed by the herders and their cattle. We want them to leave our land and community. We didn’t give them any land,” she maintained

The women also appealed to the state government and security agents to come to their aid so that they could continue to go to the farm and avoid hunger.

In his response, the traditional ruler, Chief Braimah Alegeh, assured the protesters that their grievances would be communicated to the appropriate authority for action.

“I have reported the matter to the clan head, Ogieneni of Uzairue, His Royal Highness, Kadiri Omogbai that I am inundated with the destruction of crops and farmlands by herdsmen in my community and he promised to look into it,” Chief Braimah assured the women.

The palace, he further volunteered, would made a formal report to the local government and the state government to intimate them of the destructive activities of the Fulani herdsmen, stressing that the community “has no land for herdsmen and their cattle.”

He, therefore, called on Governor Godwin Obaseki to save the community and the people from the herdsmen, who he said wanted to create hunger in his community.

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