From: Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
One person was killed while crops worth millions of Naira werer destroyed in a clash between herdsmen and farmers in Umuobasiukwu, Ozuitem community in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, who confirmed the incident, in Umuahia , said the incident occurred on Sunday.
Oyebade , who was flanked at the briefing by the Chairman of Hausa/ Fulani community in Abia, Alhaji Danladi Yaro; Deputy Speaker of Abia House of Assembly, Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe; former Chairman of Abia Council of traditional rulers and the traditional ruler of Umuobasiukwu community, HRM Eze John Akaliro; the Chairman of Methi- Allah in the state, Hassan Buba; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Captain Agwu Awa (rtd). said that the situation had been brought under control .
He stated that mobile policemen had been deployed to the community to secure lives and property and prevent more escalation of the fracas.
The police boss, who said he had also personally visited the community to ascertain the level of damage, appealed to both parties to sheath their swords and give peace a chance.
Oyebade said further said that a large committee comprising representatives of the herdsmen, Hausa/ Fulani community , the local community, the state government, security agencies and other stakeholders had been constituted to resolve the face- off.
The police boss said that the peace committee would also fashion out ways to bring about a permanent solution to the frequent clashes between herdsmen and their host communities in the area.
He said that negotiations were also going on between both parties on possible compensation on the damages incurred during the fracas.
The Chairman of Methi- Allah in the state, Hassan Buba, who Corroborated the CP’s account, appealed to herdsmen to embrace peace and live in harmony with their host communities.
Also, the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Akarilo, appealed to the aggrieved youths of the community to give peace a chance.
Abia state Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ndukwe, said he had also visited the community, but sued for peace, assuring that efforts were being made to forestall further occurrences.
Yaro also sued for peace, saying that Abia has been hospitable to Hausa/ Fulani community in the area.
Clashes between herdsmen and farmers have been a recurring decimal in Ozuitem as well as some other communities in Abia North in the recent times.
Some of the clashes leave in their entrails scores of persons mostly the hapless villagers wounded while crops and farmlands were also destroyed.
The farmers accused the herdsmen of not only grazing on their farmlands with impunity, but also uprooting their cassava and some other crops to feed their cows, while the herdsmen accuse them of ambushing them for attack.
