Agogo Chiefs Add To The Pressure To Remove Nomadic Herdsmen
The Agogo Traditional Council has vowed to punish anybody found to have leased land to Fulani herdsmen as pressure to get the nomads evicted from the area, mounts.
This comes barely 48 hours after the murder of a 25 year-old farmer, David Atia, at Kowireso on the Agogo portion of the Afram Plains, by a yet to be identified Fulani.
The reported atrocities of the herdsmen – shooting people dead on their farms, raping women, destruction of food crops and water bodies, had angered the youth who have threatened to do everything to force them out of their lands.
Addressing a press conference held at the Omanhene’s Palace, Nana Boakye Yiadom, the Akyeamehene, said the chiefs were solidly behind the youth in their fight to end the cruelty, lawlessness and impunity of the nomads.
He said the chiefs were not and could never be indifferent to the suffering of the people.
He profusely denied accusations that the invasion of the area by the herdsmen and their animals had their permission, and said they would not do anything to endanger the lives of those they “are leading”.
They are fighting on the same side with the people to remove the threat of the Fulani and bring peace, he added.
Among high ranking chiefs present, were Nana Kwame Nti, Krontihene, Nana Badu Kaakyire, Nifahene and Nana Kwame Boamah, Akwamuhene.
Meanwhile, the security heads – the National Security Advisor, the Chief of Defense Staff and the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Thursday visited the area to assess the security situation.
A joint military/police task force had also been deployed there by the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to prevent matters from getting out of control.
Many of the people are said to be arming themselves for a showdown with the nomadic herdsmen, who are making life simply miserable for them – ruining their investment.
They seem bent on sorting things out themselves as they perceive the Fulani to have strong support from some powerful people in the society – politicians, the security officers and traditional leaders.
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