By Amuzu Prince:
Residents of Aseseeso in the Okere Constituency of the Eastern Region are up in arms against Fulani herdsmen who have based camp in the area. The residents, mostly farmers are accusing the herdsmen of causing extensive damage to their farmlands, a situation that is leading to their impoverishment.
Most indigenes who spoke with Rite news said the situation has gotten worse over the past few weeks and which has resulted in regular altercations between them on the one side and the Fulanis on the other hand.
The confrontations in recent times came to a head when one of the affected farmers whose farm was turned into a grazing field by the herdsmen for their cattle shot dead one of the cattle.
Narrating this latest incident to Rite news, the farmer in question explained that on the day in question, he happened to be on the farm with his brother when a herdsman trouped into his farm with his cattle. According to him, all attempts from he and his brother to prevent the animals from feeding on their crops proved futile, a situation which provoked his brother to open fire on the cattle, killing one instantly.
‘The matter was subsequently reported to the Adukrom Police by the Fulani Herdsmen where my brother was charged to pay an amount of money as damages to the complainants (Fulani Herdsmen) for shooting dead the animal which he did,’ this farmer narrated bitterly, adding that they were very peeved with the whole development.
Another resident of Aseseeso also expressed his frustration at the breakdown of what used to be cordial relations between the community and the nomads. ‘There used to be cordial relationship between us and the Fulani Herdsmen. They even visited us on our farms and we ate together,’ one distraught resident expressed his frustration.
One of the accused Fulani men who mentioned his name as Agbelikagle in an interview with Rite news admitted that some of the cattle once in a while strayed into farms, leading to their destruction.
Agbelikagle who said he herds about forty eight (48) cattle belonging to one Amidu from Somanya attributed the confrontations to the ‘inherent dislike some members of the communities have for them, especially as a result of the perceptions regarding Fulani herdsmen in the country.
Source: ritefmonline.org
