From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Founder of Igbo Youths Movement (IYM), Evangelist Elliot Uko, has raised the alarm that Fulani herdsmen have, twice within one week, invaded and destroyed his farm in Enugu.
Though no life was lost in the process, the Igbo activist said he lost valuable crops and poultry facilities in the over 1.45 hectare farm located at Ugwuomu Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state, which is barely 15 kilometres away from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
He said armed Fulani herdsmen, on December 1, deliberately breached his fence by breaking down the wall, led their cattle right into the poultry farm, violated it, and destroyed all they could.
Uko, who disclosed that the farm was established in 2009, said the attackers did not look back as they destroyed anything within their reach.
In an interview after Daily Sun’s visit to the farm, he said: “Their cows defecated all over my farm, ate up the vegetables, marched over and ruined almost everything in their way, and marched out, probably to make a return later.
“A lot of people believe this could be a calculated enemy action. I am a well-known Igbo activist who has been under severe attack in the past two years by the NIA, DSS, government agents here and even our governments in the region. Even those pushing for self-determination here are not comfortable with me because I disagree with their attitude to the agitation. I have asked our governments to call the agitators to a meeting and compile their grievances and send them to the federal government. It’s when they fail to do something that we would know the next line of action.
“So, I have been under attack, but I will continue to stand on the truth, regardless.”
Uko, in another distress call to Daily Sun, yesterday, disclosed that the Fulani herders repeated the visit to his farmland and their cattle continued from where they stopped with the destruction of his crops.
Asked to put cost on the damages, Uko declined, saying he did not want to monitise his loss.