TheNewsGuru

Tag: Herdsmen

  • VC orders herdsmen to vacate Unilorin land

    Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, the Vice–Chancellor(V-C), University of Ilorin (Unilorin), on Tuesday gave herdsmen encroaching on the institution’s land a seven-day ultimatum to quit.

    The Vice-Chancellor gave the ultimatum at a meeting he held with the representatives of the herdsmen and other stakeholders on the campus.

    He said that their presence there was a violation of the laws governing the university.

    “Your activities are affecting our research works. Plants grown for research works are being destroyed, slowing down the pace of research work.

    “We must ensure we do not hinder and frustrate each other, as we are members of the same society,” Ambali said.

    Ambali said that the meeting was called because the institution believed in dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

    “People are building permanent structures on our land. When we went round, we counted about 16 structures.

    “We want to use these plots for the purpose for which the university was established, hence, the need for this meeting.”

    The V-C said that the university had reached agreements with some foreign collaborators to develop the land for research purposes.

    Ambali said that the illegal activities of the herdsmen on the campus would affect the over 30,000 students of the university.

    He advised the herdsmen to cooperate with the institution to achieve its mission.

    The vice-chancellor told them that one of the reasons for establishing the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was to cater for the needs of the herdsmen, not to be a source of conflicts in the communities.

    Earlier, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Management Services, Prof. Adedayo Abdulkareem, noted that several university farms were being destroyed by the grazing cattle.

    He said that the unlawful encroachment on the institution’s landed property was worrisome to the university administration.

    Abdulkareem condemned the use of chemicals by the herdsmen for illegal fishing in the institution’s waters.

    The DVC described this as a dangerous development that could lead to water poisoning, as the university relied on the water for treatment and supply to the campus.

    Some of the herdsmen on the occasion thanked Ambali for the matured way he handled the situation.

    They promised to assist in arresting any of their members trespassing on the university’s land.

    They acknowledged the destruction of farms, assuring that they would leave whenever the institution wanted them to leave.

    Alhaji Baba Bello, the Daudu of Fufu, warned the herdsmen against building permanent structures on the university land, and decried the destruction of farms by the nomads.

  • Disarm herdsmen to experience peace – Clergy advises FG

    Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, Primate, Church of all Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has called on the Federal Government to disarm herdsmen reduce the affliction of the rural people.

    Okoh made the call at Cathedral Church of Advent during the Easter Service on Sunday in Abuja.

    The cleric said that disarming the herdsmen should not a big deal, since the nation has capable Army forces.

    He expressed bitterness that the issue of the new generation herdsmen had become a problem as they have tormented many communities and forced local people to vacate their farmland.

    “I call on the government to disarm the new generation of herdsmen. We appeal to those who have been elected to pay attention to this matter because the people are under affliction

    “We have a standing army and it is no big deal for them to disarm these people. It is a minor operation and we have capable standing army that can do that job.

    “Why we watch our citizens shedding tears and innocent blood while the herdsmen enjoy it, it is better they are disarmed.

    “It is really tormenting many communities and if there is any problem at all in this country now, it is this problem.

    Okoh noted that the torments have made it more difficult for villagers to farm because these herdsmen had affected the local agricultural development.

    “As long as issues affecting people like this are not treated and whatever reason is not known, it will be difficult for people because for instance the local agricultural development has been affected.

    “The local people can no longer go to the farm easily and in this country it is the local farmers who farm, who produce the large quantity of food we consume in the cities.

    “The herdsmen have taken over. They are afraid to go to the farm. If this problem is not solved, where is progress? Where is prosperity? Where is peace?

    Talking about Easter, Okoh advised that no matter the difficulties that Nigerians were faced with, they should learn to overcome every situation in life like Jesus Christ did.

    “We can overcome. Even the present set back whether you call it recession or herdsmen challenge or medical challenge.

    “We can overcome if we are united; if people are made to have a sense of belonging; if we forge ahead together; we can overcome any difficulty coming from any where,’’ Okoh said.

    In his remark, Rev. William Okoye, General Overseer, All Christian Fellowship Mission (ACFM), also explained that with the resurrection, Jesus Christ had paid the price for the sins of His people.

    According to him, in the face of whatever situation we find ourselves as a nation we have to recognise that we are in the world.

    “Jesus said that in the world you have tribulation. These things are part of life. Our problems are meant to bring us closer to God not to drive us away from Him.

    “Concerning the season that we are in, it is a season of celebration, victory of Jesus Christ over sin, over death, over the devil and to overcome the circumstances of life,” he said.

    Senior Special Apostle Idika Kalu, Chairman, Abuja Province Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, advised Christians to be happy because Jesus Christ was risen and celebrated all over the world.

    He explained that Easter was to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

    Kalu noted that the resurrection of Christ that took place over 2000 years ago had made Christians to be free from bondage and liberated from the devil.

     

     

    NAN

  • ‘Own a sword, defend yourselves’, bishop tells Christians

    ‘Own a sword, defend yourselves’, bishop tells Christians

    Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Ughelli, Delta State, Bishop Diamond Emuobor, said Christians in the country should endeavor to own a sword and defend themselves against rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

    Emuobor gave the charge on Wednesday in Ughelli while reacting to recent killings in Southern Kaduna which had claimed lives and property.

    The General Overseer of Trinity Gospel Mission with its headquarters in Delta State said it was not unbiblical for a Christian to defend himself against external aggressors.

    He added, “Christians should defend themselves and he who has no sword, should sell his coat and buy one to defend himself. We are all human beings, nobody should catch you like a snail and slaughter because you believe in Jesus Christ.

    “We all would not die and those of us, who are alive, have the right to defend ourselves. Jesus says in the Book of Luke that those who have no sword should sell their coats and buy one for the defence of their lives.”

    Emuobor however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to double his efforts to end the alleged killing of Christians, especially in the northern part of the country.

  • Herdsmen wreaking havoc in Nigeria are from Senegal, Mali – Northern governors

    The Northern Governor’s Forum, NGF, has said Fulani herdsmen attacking Nigerians are from neighbouring Senegal and Mali.

    The forum however resolved t o work with relevant authorities and stakeholders to secure the nations borders and also ensure registration of all Fulani immigrants entering the country to rear cattle.

    The Chairman of the Forum, Kashim Shettima of Borno, disclosed this to journalists at the end of the forum’s meeting in Kaduna, on Tuesday

    In Shettima’s words: “We also mapped out new strategies that would be used by the local Fulani herdsmen to rear their cattle without having to move across the country.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the chairman emphasised the need for every Nigerian to see security as his or her business, pointing out that the nation would remain backward if there was no peace.

    On the indigene/settler dichotomy, the governor said that there was a push by the forum towards national integration and cohesion so that every Nigerian could conveniently settle in any part of the country without suffering any form of discrimination.

    “Some of the past governors of Kano State, like the late Sabo Bakin Zawo, from Niger, and Ibrahim Shekarau, from Borno, were not indigenes technically, but were assimilated and even attained the highest office in Kano,” he observed.

    He acknowledged that the country was experiencing lots of challenges, particularly in the northern region, but expressed optimism that things would get better.

    The joint meeting, which had northern traditional council of emirs and chiefs in attendance, discussed issues of insecurity, the management of common assets and measures to move the region to greater heights.

     

     

    NAN

  • 4 injured as herdsmen, farmers clash in Anambra

    4 injured as herdsmen, farmers clash in Anambra

    NO fewer than four persons were, yesterday, hospitalized following injuries they sustained when some Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashed in a farmland at Okoti-Odekpe community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    This came as some communities in Nimbo, Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State donated over 350 hectares of land to enable the African Nations Development Programme, ANDP, build a home for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the area.

    According to the source, the clash started at about 10 a.m. when the herdsmen invaded the farmland with their cattle and destroyed a large farmland which resulted in a clash as a farmer from Okoti-Odekpe and three herdsmen were injured.

    Eyewitnesses told newsmen that it was the herdsmen that first launched the attack against the farmers with cutlasses and injured one Dubem Ononuju.

    This led the farmers to launch a reprisal attack and they injured three herdsmen. Armed Fulani-herdsmen The incident attracted the attention of soldiers, navy and policemen, who rushed to the scene and rescued the herdsmen from the youths of the community and took the injured to a nearby hospital.

    Confirming the incident, the Police Area Commander for Onitsha, Yahaya Abubakar, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said some arrests were made.