Delta women protest against destruction of crops by herdsmen

For destroying their farms and crops with cows, women in Delta State on Tuesday staged a protest against Fulani herdsmen.

The women from Isoko North LGA moved round major streets in Ozoro and stopped at the council secretariat to register their grievances.

During the peaceful protest, they displayed placards with inscriptions such as ‘We Don’t Want Herdsmen And Their Cows In Our Land Again’, ‘Your Cows Are Destroying Our Crops’, ‘Herdsmen Cows Have Destroyed All Our Crops’, ‘They Are Not Only Eating Our Cassava Stem But Also Uprooting Them’, ‘Your Cows Have Destroyed Our Cassavas, Yams and Other Crops’, and ‘Leave Our Farms’.

Other inscriptions include ‘Our Lives Are In Danger, Fulani Herdsmen Leave Our Farms’, ‘Fulani Herdsmen Have Destroyed Our Means Of Livelihood’, and ‘Carry Your Cows And Leave Our Farms’.

While calling on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the council chairman, Godwin Ogorugba to rescue them, the women lamented that they are no longer safe in their own land due to fears of possible attacks by the herdsmen.

“Farming is the only means of taking care of our families and sending their children to higher institutions,” they said.

Addressing the protesters, the Chairman of Isoko North LGA, Godwin Ogorugba, said the herdsmen have refused to adhere to the grazing laws in the state even as he warned them against incessant destruction of farms and crops in the area.

“The herdsmen are not complying to the open grazing laws. This is a peaceful protest and we have listened to you. We must surely act to save our people. If we have food insecurity none of us will be able to sleep in our houses or come to our offices to work.

“We will make sure our people can go to their farms freely and come back home. Our cassavas, yams and other crops and our people will be protected because that was why we were voted into office.

“Our governor recently called us – all council chairmen – to a meeting in Asaba and gave us the marching order, ‘go and protect your people’, lives and properties and the issues of insecurity must be taken very seriously.

“I want to use this medium to tell the Fulani herdsmen to stop destruction of our farms and crops. Our amiable governor, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, is doing everything possible to tackle insecurity across the State.”

Delta women protest against destruction of crops by herdsmen