Reps seek policy on grazing areas for herdsmen

[TGD]

 Give ultimatum on Edo, Delta communal disputes

TO check the occurrence of violent crises between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the country, the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to prepare a policy that makes provisions for specific grazing areas for itinerant herdsmen.

The House, after observing a minute silence in honour of two soldiers killed in the recent crisis in Benue, urged the Federal Government to immediately revisit the report of the committee headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa'ad Abubakar on a similar crisis set up in 2007.

This is just as it urged members of the security agencies to step up intelligence efforts in the area with a bid to preventing unnecessary loss of lives.

The House's resolution was sequel to a motion brought by Emmanuel Jime on the incidence of communal crises between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers in parts of Benue and Nasarawa states.

The parliament's decision which was unanimously adopted through a voice vote also resolved to constitute an ad-hoc  committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis and further proffer solutions, just as it urged the governments of Benue and Nasarawa states to intervene in the crisis and provide security in the affected areas.

The session presided over yesterday by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, had as an interim measure, also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately send relief materials to the various refugee camps in Benue as well as Nasarawa in order to assist victims and affected families to settle.

Leading the debate on the motion, the sponsor, Emmanuel Jime had decried the spate of conflicts between itinerant herdsmen and Tiv farmers resulting in several killings, and displacement of thousands of Tiv people over the disputes on farmlands and grazing corridors.

Painting a gory picture of the crisis in an emotion-laden voice, the lawmaker disclosed that over 50 Tiv men, women and children had been killed in the crisis and some of the victims had some vital parts of their bodies such as eyes, private parts and hearts removed.

Jime said: "Two soldiers including Lt. Ikenna Anyanwu and his colleague deployed around a Catholic Secondary School in Udei were reportedly ambushed and killed by the invaders."

He noted that the Tiv and nomadic Fulani people had co-existed peacefully and used the same fields for both farming and grazing for over hundreds of years in the present states of Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau and others in the Middle Belt region with a traditional mechanism for resolving conflicts.

Jime, however, lamented that the crisis had displaced more than 40,000 people including women who were living under difficult conditions and in lack of food, water, clothing materials and medical care in five camps at Daudu, Ortese, Igyungu-adze in Guma and Makurdi Local Councils.

"The pupils of the primary schools at Daudu and Igyungu-adze towns in Guma Local Council Area have been sent on forced holiday by the council Education Authority due to the Fulani-Tiv communal strife", he said.

In a related development, the House of Representatives has given the Nigerian Boundary Commission   a   two-week ultimatum to submit its report on the resolution of the boundary dispute involving some communities in Edo and Delta states.

The lower house also urged the governors of the states to as a matter of urgency to employ all means to ensure that the disputes between their border lines were resolved immediately.

The Federal Government was also urged to initiate internal security measures involving the mobilization of officers and men of the Nigeria police force to check attacks on rural communities.

The resolution followed a motion moved by Ndudi Elumelu who drew the attention of members to the breach of peace and threat to lives and property as a result of the boundary dispute.

The dispute according to him, is between the Ewohimi and Ohordua communities in Edo and Idumuje-Ugboko, Idumuje-Unor, Anor Aniofu, Ugbodu, Ukwuzu,Ugboba Ubuluhu, Ogodor and Anioma communities of Delta state.

He said the areas had been known to be involved in land disputes for long which necessitated the involvement of the boundary commission in 2002. The former deputy governors of the state were also said to have intervened in the matter.

According to him, because the boundary commission has failed to come out with its report, the crisis has lingered, fighting in the area has continued and farming in the communities has been grossly affected.



The Guardian