President-General of
Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, (Worldwide), Olorogun Moses Taiga has raised the alarm over the illegal occupation of Urhobo communities by
Fulani herdsmen.
He equally spoke about the danger such occupation has placed the
Urhobos in their own land, stressing that many of them have been killed, wives raped and their farms destroyed by rampaging Fulani herdsmen.
Addressing newsmen at UPU Headquarters secretariat, Uvwiamuge, Ughelli North LGA, Delta State, Taiga revealed that no fewer than three hundred herdsmen are illegality occupying shops abandoned ultra-modern market located between Otovwodo and Ogor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state.
“There are fears that the number of the herdsmen might double in no time. Now my people live in perpetual anxiety and trepidation. I call on
President Muhammadu Buhari,
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the military authorities to dislodge these illegal occupants and hoodlums immediately before they wreck havoc.
“The Urhobos are peace-loving people. What happened in Benue, where 73 people were killed, must not happen in
Urhobo land or any other place, for that matter, again in Nigeria,” the Adjerese of Urhoboland disclosed, just as he recalled that there have been incessant attacks of
Urhobo people by Fulani herdsmen in their own towns and villages for some time now.
“Our men are being killed and our wives and daughters raped. The attacks are going on in Abraka Kingdom, Uwheru Kingdom, Ovwor town in Olomu, Ughelli South LGA and many other towns and villages in
Urhoboland.
“About two weeks ago, they struck in Ovwor, attacking three men and raping one woman. Ironically one of the men they attacked is a butcher going to his place of work very early in the morning. These herdsmen are very daring and callous. Even a butcher, who patronises them by buying their cows, is not spared of the attacks,” he noted.
He informed the federal government that Urhobo Nation is against the proposed creation of cattle colony, insisting that the Urhobos will not cede an inch of their land for the purpose of establishing a cattle colony.
Hear him, “Cattle rearing is a private matter and individuals should make their private arrangement, just as crop farmers do, in that regard. Has government established cassava, yam, cocoa or plantain “colonies? Also, no “colonies” have been established for poultry farmers throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Why having special arrangement for cattle farmers? These squatters and trespassers have to stop. They should sort out themselves peacefully and stop behaving like an army of occupation.”
Taiga equally used the opportunity to reiterate the earlier stand of the Urhobo people for a return to the 1960 constitution where regions managed their resources and only contributed a percentage to the federal government.
“That is one of the ways to achieve lasting peace in Nigeria. It will also bring back the healthy competition among regions, which helped to speed up growth and development in the 60s,” he stated.