Ikpeazu rejects Miyetti Allah's call for establishment of herdsmen vigilante in Abia

Posted by FN Editor | 5 years ago | 2,098 times



 

Abia state  Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu  has reacted to the call made by Miyetti Allah on the establishment of northern vigilante group in South East. He said the strategy will not work in Abia.

Speaking during an interview with State House correspondents in Abuja, the Governor stated that Fulani herdsmen will not be a part of any security arrangement in Abia.

“Fulani herdsmen will not be part of any security arrangement in Abia State. Such strategy could work elsewhere but not in Abia State. We have our own plans which we will be willing to share with other people if they are interested. Our plans do not have provision for Herdsmen as Vigilantes. 
"One of the reasons why we have no instances of Herders-Farmers clash in Abia State is because we adopted an innovative and unique strategy which takes a human view of the situation.
" I spent seven years in the north as an undergraduate and postgraduate student, and I have a fair idea of how the average Fulani behaves and thinks. 

"One thing we have done in Abia is to set up Mediation Committees at the State and Local Government levels. When cows destroy crops, the cows don’t know the difference between cash crops and normal grass. Someone must take responsibility.  

"I have mandated the mediation committee to investigate real cases of destruction of farmlands and even, the killing of cows and when such instances are confirmed, I choose to pay either the owner of the farm or the cow owner as the case maybe. I prefer to pay for or two cows to losing any life. One human life is more expensive than all the cows put together. 

"However, our major emphasis is on ensuring peaceful coexistence amongst all those concerned. This is why we hear little about clashes in Abja State. There are herdsmen in Abia but we have managed to create a template that ensures peace, ” he said
          

 


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