Senate To Open Public Hearing On Fulani Herdsmen, Farmer

The Senate on Thursday, March 3 are working on a lasting solution to the farmers and herdsmen clash in the country. In a motion sponsored by Chukwuka Utazi representing Enugu north senatorial district, the senate urged the cattle owners to ensure that the grazing of their cattle does not infringe on the rights of farming communities and other farmers who engage in settled agricultural production. The motion is titled tackling the perennial conflicts between farmers and cattle herdsmen.

The senate also condemned the criminal activities of some elements among cattle herdsmen who use the cover of their trade to perpetrate harrowing despoliation of people’s farms and engage in other sundry criminal activities.

It also urged the federal government to urgently establish ranches and grazing reserves across the country. The senate also seeks to adopt other strategies to enable nomadic cattle handlers settle to modern system of livestock keeping. However, the senate resolved to urge all arms of the government to raise resources across the state and resolved to carryout a public hearing, with an aim of proffering a lasting solution.

Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy senate president worried by the spate of killings and harassment access the federation by the nomadic Fulani herdsmen made the suggestion of the public hearing. Senator Adamu Aliero representing Kebbi state said the an approach to tackle the issue should be established if the federal government does not have a solution. However, Danjuma Laah representing Kaduna south senatorial district expressed his sadness over 300 people that were killed in two days in his village.

''My people were killed and lost all their belongings. This has been a big problem for me but when I heard this motion I said that I will never stop talking about it. “Over 300 people were killed in my area but nothing was done,” he said.

Bukola Saraki, the Senate President while making his contribution commended his colleagues for bringing this motion forward. He also said that the present government have started working on solutions on the issue and will be resolved. In a similar vein, about 30 people were killed in Adamawa state due to the renewed clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers within the state. The suspected herdsmen raided four villages: Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo in what is believed to be a vengeance mission over an existing feud with farmers in the area.

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