During a media parley in Abuja today, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu made it explicitly clear that Fulani Herdsmen will never be part of any security arrangement in Abia State. READ FULL.
ON FULANI HERDSMEN:
“Fulani herdsmen will not be part of any security arrangement in Abia State. Such strategy could work elsewhere but not in Abia State. We have our own plans which we will be willing to share with other people if they are interested. Our plans do not have provision for Herdsmen as Vigilantes.
One of the reasons why we have no instances of Herders-Farmers clash in Abia State is because we adopted an innovative and unique strategy which takes a human view of the situation. I spent seven years in the north as an undergraduate and postgraduate student, and I have a fair idea of how the average Fulani behaves and thinks.
One thing we have done in Abia is to set up Mediation Committees at the State and Local Government levels. When cows destroy crops, the cows don’t know the difference between cash crops and normal grass. Someone must take responsibility. I have mandated the mediation committee to investigate real cases of destruction of farmlands and even, the killing of cows and when such instances are confirmed, I choose to pay either the owner of the farm or the cow owner as the case maybe. I prefer to pay for or two cows to losing any life. One human life is more expensive than all the cows put together. However, our major emphasis is on ensuring peaceful coexistence amongst all those concerned. This is why we hear little about clashes in Abia State. There are herdsmen in Abia but we have managed to create a template that ensures peace”.
-Governor Okezie Ikpeazu during a media parley in Abuja today.
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