By Christy Aboghe
Delta State government has assured Deltans of a peaceful resolution of the long aged dispute between cattle herders and farmers in the state, particularly those in Uwheru, in Ughelli North Local Government Area.
The Chairman of the Delta State Livestock Management Committee (DLMC) and Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Godfrey Enita, gave the assurance while speaking with our reporter shortly after a closed door meeting with stakeholders and representatives of Uwheru community in Asaba.
Enita said that the meeting was fruitful and had revealed insight on the main causes of the clashes between the farmers and the herders and noted that the main culprits in the clash were normally migrant herders from the eastern part of the country, who invade Delta communities at certain seasons of the year.
The Commissioner who noted that Uwheru community had raised alarm over attacks by certain herders who had prevented them from accessing their farms in the area said the meeting was convened to look into the root causes of the farmers/herders clashes in Uwheru community, it’s environs and other LGAs.
“We are trying to prevent what happened in Patani LGA from happening at Uwheru. This is because we have observed that these herders who unleash mayhem come from the eastern flank of the country.
“They are not the traditional herders that we have in the state that we know and can easily identify. We are told that it was these ones who migrated from the east that caused the kind of havoc that happened at Patani LGA in the state, where a family lost a father and his child. This we want to stop from repeating at Uwheru.”
He further disclosed that about 40 flash points had been identified in 12 LGAs in the state that and the information at the disposal of the government would help them track those migrant herders who had swum across the rivers into the state to cause trouble in the communities.
The Commissioner reassured that the Committee would in no distant time swing into action, so as to mitigate the crisis, adding that sub committees had been created with members of DLMC whose profile has been presented to security agency to investigate before commencement of actions that would lead to a peaceful co-existence between both parties as well as ensure food security in the state.
