Group Raise Alarm Over Herdsmen’s Invasion Of Ogoni

The Ogoni Elders Forum under the aegis of ‘Gbokabaari’ has raised alarm over the invasion of farmlands in some Ogoni communities by armed herdsmen who brazenly graze cows on cultivated crops.

The position of the forum was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman, Elder Monday Abue. and Secretary, Desmond Nbete, and made available to newsmen, yesterday.

The statement declared that the invaders, armed with AK-47, some of which are strapped to cows, have driven away farmers from their farmlands.

It further called for the immediate evacuation of the herders and their cows from the farms,stressing that the encroachment of the affected farmlands in communities of Baaluekun, Kpaa, Semeluekun, Daen in Khana Local Government Area; and Eteo in Eleme Local Government; did not only constitute a threat to public peace but undermines the livelihood of the people.

The statement, which read in part, stated that, “We want to raise this alarm to the authorities that be, and alert all lovers of justice in the world that our people cannot afford to be victims of another pogrom. We have had pitiably sad history in recent times of being massively killed, as well as having the very basis of our livelihoods devastated by decades of wanton environmental pollution. Our people mainly depend on subsistence farming as their source of livelihood, and do not want any further attempt of herdsmen invasion to the toxic mix”.

The forum recalled an earlier premonition of the militarisation of Ogoniland through the drafting of soldiers to the area in the guise of providing security services for the Ogoni clean-up exercise by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), to which protest was made by Ogoni stakeholders to the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and the Ministry of Environment.

By:  Taneh Beemene