Paramount Ruler of Mkpani, Obol Lopon of Mkpani, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Obol Sunday Obono Okoi has disclosed how his community stopped Fulani herdsmen from entering their farmlands.
He said his community has put various machinery in place to make it impossible for herders to enter their farmlands.
The Monarch who spoke on Thursday lamented the activities of herders and called on the Federal Government to caution herdsmen with a view to stopping them from destroying people’s farms and allegedly killing farmers.
“It is not bad for people to carry on with their legitimate businesses, but it’s bad for people to abandon their legitimate business and embark on the destruction and killing of innocent people or fermenting criminal activities
“If somebody has farmland and use that to train his or her children, eat from there, rent houses and other activities, and you are also doing your business, why should you allow your business to supersede others, using your animal to destroy others? It’s bad.
“In my place, Mkpani, in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, we have put ourselves together by not allowing them to come into our community and attempt anything in our farm because we are afraid of a lot of things.
“We held several Council meetings and took various decisions including how to protect our people and our farms. We don’t joke with our farms since we have highway that passes through our community. We give strong warning that as they come, they pass,” he stated.
Consequently, on the drum of war allegedly being peddled by some regions in the guise of restructuring, the Monarch said, “Basically, the essence of government is to solve problems of the people and in every society, government has to put the esteem laws that will guide the workings of the people and we believe that some of these laws we are having are very obsolete.
It’s necessary for us to reconsider ourselves and see how we can realign with the reality of our time and moment. If there is need for us to meet, we have to meet and get things done peaceful manner.
“If there is need for us to curb insecurity. We have to do that fast because our population today has multiply geometrically to a level that everybody is worried,” he said.
