By Donald Iorchir
Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Ajiya, has assured farmers and herdsmen of his administratio’s commitment to providing the enabling environment for peaceful co-existence among the two groups.
He gave the assurance yesterday when the secretary of the Council, Alhaji Kamal
Adamu Shuaibu, accompanied him to condole with families of two farmers that were allegedly shot by suspected herdsmen at Yewuni community in the area, recently.
Ajiya condemned the attack on the farmers at the village, saying it was unfortunate that despite the committee set up by his administration on farmers and herders’ crisis across the 10 wards of the Council, it was still experiencing reported cases of farmers and herdsmen’s clash in the area.
He appealed to the farmers in the community and in other neighbouring
villages in the area not to launch reprisal attacks, assuring them that the Council was determined to ensure that a lasting peace and understanding among farmers and herdsmen was put in place.
“It was unfortunate that the incident happened the next day after members of the ministerial committee came to us, where we met at Ona’s Palace to see how issues between farmers and herdsmen are going to be addressed. But we will not relent in our efforts in addressing the issue,” he said.
A farmer at the community, Abdulkadir Mohammad, told the Council chairman that most of their farm produce, especially cassava, had been eaten up by cattle, saying that cassava was their major food that they depended on.
“In fact, most farmers in this village and surrounding villages can no longer go to their farms for fear of being attacked by the Fulani; sometimes you meet herdsmen inside your farm,” he said.
He thanked the chairman for the visit and for providing security across the villages in the area, but urged him to intensify more efforts to addressing the excesses of herdsmen in the community.
