Edo plans database of northerners to check activities of herdsmen

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo said the
government would set up a database of
northerners resident in the state in order to
tackle the rampant cases of attacks on farmers
by herdsmen.
Mr John Mayaki, the Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor, said in a statement on Friday in Benin
that the initiative would allow for easy
identification of strange characters within their
settlements.
According to the statement, Obaseki made his
intention known to members of the Arewa
Community in the state after hosting them to
iftar ( the traditional breaking of Ramadan fast) at
Government House, Benin on Thursday night.
The governor admonished members of the
Arewa Community in the state to embrace the
diversity which exists in Nigeria and forge a
united bond.
He asserted that no true Fulani herdsman would
abandon his cattle and take to killing of innocent
farmers.
The governor said that the recent cases of rape
and murder were perpetrated by foreign
elements bent on causing conflict.
” To checkmate the ugly trend, a committee will
be set up to carry out community by
community delineation of northern settlers
across the state to help identify new comers and
their aim”, Obaseki said.
Obaseki said that fenced grazing areas with
watering facilities would be clearly defined by
government for herdsmen to feed their cattle
with payment of economic fees for services
rendered.
The governor assured them of fair treatment in
spite of religious differences, acknowledging that
intermarriage has made them stakeholders in
Edo.
Earlier in his remarks, the President of Arewa
Community in Edo, Alhaji Umar , commended
the governor for breaking fast with them.
He stated that members of the Arewa
community were unhappy with the recent
attacks as it was giving them a bad name.
Umar said that the community would support
the state government in identifying and dealing
with bad elements amongst the herdsmen.
It would be recalled that suspected herdsmen
had on May 22, killed two women in their farms
in Ewu community, in Esan Central Local
Government area of the state.
Also earlier in the week, another killing was
recoded in Ekpoma , Esan West Local
Government Area. .(NAN)