Following the release from prison custody of the 76 farmers from Ugwuleshi Autonomous Community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, after they were granted bail by Magistrate Courts in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Godwin Nwobi, and some other leaders from the area, during the weekend, commended the efforts of the governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi towards the release of the farmers.
While noting that the erstwhile detained farmers arrived home safely to unite with their loved ones after they were granted bail, the people of the community through their traditional ruler, Igwe Nwobi and other political stakeholders appealed to the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the challenges being encountered between the nomadic Fulani/Hausa herdsmen and indigenous farmers in their community over the grazing of cattle on farmlands by the Fulani herdsmen, which the farmers alleged destroyed their crops.
They said that a lasting solution to the problem will go a long way to end the menace of the herdsmen and promote a peaceful and harmonious existence between the villagers and Fulani herdsmen.
Commenting further on the efforts of Gov. Ugwuanyi in calming frayed nerves and reducing tension on the matter, Igwe Nwobi said that the intervention of the governor made it evidently possible for the people to be granted bail and released to return home on that faithful day the bail was granted at Magistrate Courts in Umuahia.
According to Igwe Nwobi, “I am happy that they are back. I thank the Government of Enugu State for its efforts in making sure that my subjects come back. I appreciate the efforts of our Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who has visited my community over this matter. That shows he is a man of the people. We pray God to grant him wisdom to continue piloting the affairs of Enugu State. I also thank my community for their understanding”.
Also commenting on the incidence, Hon Nelson Uduji, member representing Awgu South Constituency in the Enugu state house of assembly, said they went through arduous task in securing bail for the erstwhile 76 detained farmers and expressed gratitude to Governor Ugwuanyi, other political leaders from the area for their intervention.
Hon. Uduji said their contribution in no small measure facilitated the bail of the detained 76 farmers. He expressed worries that the psychological trauma of the incident will impact negatively on the attitude of the farmers within this planting season, and appealed to the Federal government to initiate urgent steps in resolving the problem.
A farmer from the community, Chief Edwin Okeke, also tasked both the Federal Government and Enugu State Government to find a lasting solution to the problem, lamenting that he took a loan to have planted about 7 hectares of Cassava which have been allegedly destroyed.
