About 15 communities in Edo State in collaboration with civil society organisations, on Wednesday, took to the streets to protest the activities of herdsmen, which they said had led to the destruction of their farms and forceful evictions from their ancestral homes.
The aggrieved communities including Obarenren, Uhiere, Odiguetue, Ofintebe, Igolo, Okokuo, Abumwenre I and II had barricaded the Lagos-Benin Road to communicate their grievances.
They alleged that herders had been moving into farms to kill, destroy crops and forcefully evict people from their houses.
They also said that residents were hungry as they could no longer go to their farms for fear of being killed.
A leader, Osagie Obayuwana, said residents were worried about the imminent crisis in the various communities in the state, orchestrated by armed herdsmen.
He said, “We want the whole world to know what our people are experiencing. We are particular about Ovia North-East communities because the 15 communities have been under siege for some years. Farmers have been prevented from going to their farms. Another planting season is gradually passing by and they have not been able to go to their farms. They are hungry and this has an implication for the larger society. It is one of the reasons the price of food is rising beyond the reach of even those in the middle class.
“So far, we have not seen serious efforts to address this issue. Our people have gone to various offices both in the legislative and executive arms. They have also gone to traditional rulers without any result. Right now, the matter is degenerating to an extent that people are being driven out of their villages.
“We are concerned that what has been happening in Benue and Plateau states is gradually coming to Edo State where armed herdsmen drive people from communities, change the names of the communities and occupy the houses. We don’t want that to happen here.”
Meanwhile, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, ACP James Chu, while appealing to the protesters, said the command has provided machinery to curb the excesses of herdsmen in the various communities in the state.
