By: Felix Ikpotor
Residents are now fleeing Agbeta II Tuabon Community in Ebubu Clan, Eleme local government area of Rivers State following the invasion of the community by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The herdsmen attacked the community Sunday last week, killing two men while wounding others.
Community sources said since March this year, the community farmlands have been taken over by rampaging Fulani herdsmen who sacked the community and devastated their farmlands.
It was also alleged that the suspected herders have been raping women and maiming people of the community.
Youth president of the community, Justice Kanikpo while lamenting the invasion said residents of the area are now relocating over fear of more attacks by the herdsmen and appealed to the council chairman and security agencies to come to their aid.
“People are parking out of the community as a result of fear from the herders because they always come to the area with AK45 riffle everyday so people are afraid for their lives.
” I don’t know why the local government chairman is not bordered about the situation, so i am appealing to the government to come to our aide and rescue us from what we are facing,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Council of Chiefs and Elders of Agbeta II Tuabon Community, Kayonee Gbaranen said farmers in the community could not access their farmlands anymore due to activities of the killer herdsmen.
“The people no longer go to their farms because what they planted has been destroyed, they are now buying crops and foodstuffs that they normally produce because they can no longer enter their farms. They are afraid, most of the people have started packing out of the community to neighboring communities,” he said.
He expressed fear that the community might go into extinction if nothing is done.
” We are not loosing any hope, we expect that something will be done quickly because if nothing is done then that community is bound to go extinct,” he stated.
Gbaranen however, appealed to security agencies to come to their aide and investigate the matter.
“We don’t have any other option than to continue to pressurise the security agencies to do the needful because we are obedient and taxpaying citizens and we have done nothing wrong to deserve this kind of treatment. We still want to call on the council chairman to take it up and find out who are the herdsmen responsible for these atrocities as we don’t want to take laws into our hands,” he said.
Responding to the incident, chairman of the council, Chief Obarillormate Ollor said his council is on top of the situation as he’s working with security agencies to put a stop to the incident.
“I have been on top of this matter and I can assure you that it would receive the required attention. At the moment, the police, DSS and all security agents are ontop of the issue to ensure that it doesn’t repeat itself. We also met with the Sarkin Fulani through the area commander and we have agreed to bring persons from both sides to form a taskforce in the area.
“The herdsmen said there are the good Fulanis and the bad Fulanis that it’s the bad ones that have infiltrated the place, so they can help to support and fish them out and we are also looking at that option”.
He however, appealed to residents of the area to be calm and vigilant as security agencies would swing into action in the area to restore normalcy.
“Let them remain calm as we expect that the state apparatus would move in because there is an area where these elements are camping in that area so it’s our duty to ensure that they are dislodged,” Ollormate said.
