News
JUST IN: Abraka, Obiaruku Communities Protest Fulani Herdsmen Killings
…Block Abraka-Agbor Expressway
By Daniel Dafe, Abraka
Protests on Thursday rocked Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State as farmers and indigenes from the university community joined by farmers from neighbouring Obiaruku community in Ukwauni Local Government Area of the state, took to the streets to condemn killings, maiming and raping of farmers in the area, saying “enough is enough.”
Recall that on Sunday, a farmer, Engr. Mike Egba, resident in Obiaruku while returning from his farm in the area was killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen alongside his son and close relative along Abraka/Benin Road by Oghonogbo farm settlement junction.
Egba was also a staff of Delta Staff University, Abraka, attached to the Physical Planning unit.
The aggrieved protesters in their hundreds carrying placards that read ‘Okowa stop Fulani Herdsmen’, ‘Okowa stop the killings now’, ‘Stop killer herdsmen now, Okowa come to our aide,’ ‘Okowa we say no to Fulani killer herdsmen now’ and ‘Okowa your people are dying,’ mounted road blocks for over three hours at the popular Benin junction in Abraka on the ever busy Abraka-Agbor road.
The angry farmers chanted songs like ‘Buhari must go’, ‘Okowa must act now’, ‘We don’t want Fulani herdsmen again,’ ‘Fulani herdsmen must leave our bushes,’ etc.
Speaking to Oasis Magazine (OM) exclusively, the Chairman of the association of farmers in Abraka/Obiaruku communities, Idigun Duke, a native of Urhuoka-Abraka, said the attack on farmers seems to have gone out of hand.
His words: “The protest today is all about the killing of our farmers inside the bush and raping and killing our women. Someone will go to farm and won’t come back home. We have written a petition to the governor and protested to the Delta State House of Assembly. The lawmakers asked us to write a petition to the governor which we did. The governor asked us to forward the petition to Commissioner of Police which we also did. But, no one wants to help us.
“They said we should live together that Aboki are our friends. But now, friend dey kill friend. They will root our cassava and give to their cows to eat. Our farmers no more go to farms again. We want to see our governor. Let him come and address us.
“A farmer was killed on Sunday with his two children. They also carried a vigilante into the bush till now they are still looking for him. Another vigilante was shot on his stomach. He is at the hospital for medical attention.”
According to him, the number of farmers so far killed is uncountable.
Continuing, he said that they are all hungry, adding that “an hungry man is an angry man.”
“The whole farmers are now hungry because we no more go the farm. Even if you go the cassava has been eaten by cows and we are not given compensation.
“We don’t know if we have a governor because if we do, he must come to address us here. We don’t want the DPO and we won’t leave here until we see the governor.
“Our demand is that they should go and clear the bush immediately so farmers can start going to their farms and come back home,” he said.
Speaking further, he said for over a year he has not gone to the farm.
At the time of filing this report, the road blocks have been lifted.