The Kwahu Traditional Council in the Eastern Region has expressed anger at the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the region, expressing their desire to drive them out of Kwahuland.
The chiefs in an emergency meeting noted that they had not given any lands to Fulani herdsmen to settle on, and that they had therefore decided to ask the Fulanis to vacate their lands before the end of this January.
The angry chiefs lamented that the presence of Fulani herdsmen on their lands had led to an upsurge in armed robbery, destruction of crops, environmental degradation, rape and many other atrocities which are disturbing their peace.
The chiefs noted that due to this their people had recently raised red flags about the rampaging activities of these Fulani herdsmen.
The meeting, which was aimed at deliberating on the action to take against the Fulanis who have been terrorising indigenes of the Kwahu Traditional Area, was chaired by the acting president of the council, Nana Asiedu Agyemang II, the Abetifihene. In attendance were the chiefs, Kwahu DCEs, the Kwahu Zongo chief and some heads of the Fulani herdsmen at Abene.
At the meeting, the chiefs agreed that all the Fulanis should leave with their cattle before the end of January. On their part, the Fulani herdsmen pleaded with the chiefs to give them up to the first quarter of this year to vacate their lands.
The chiefs noted that the Fulanis often carry offensive weapons to market places and drinking bars where they terrorise indigenes. They disclosed that the Fulanis have over the years killed over 18 indigenes of Kwahu, attacked several others and stolen from their hosts at gunpoint. They added that the nefarious activities of these Fulani herdsmen had recently compelled the youth of the district to embark on a demonstration.
The Kwahu Afram Plains North District Assembly last year formed a task force to register all Fulani cattle owners and their cattle to enable the Assembly collect taxes from them and also monitor their movements.
It is estimated that about 200 Fulani herdsmen brought over 2000 cattle from Nigeria, Niger, Togo and Mali to settle on Kwahu lands.
DAILY GUIDE�s sources confirmed that on Tuesday night a patrol team from the Mpreaso Police Command, at the boundary between Kwahu and Agogo, managed to intercept a truckload of about 1000 cattle together with some Fulanis who were moving into the Kwahu area after they were sent away from Agogo.
The Kwahu East District Chief Executive, Nana Antwi Siaw, in what appeared to be in sharp contrast to the position of the chiefs, told DAILY GUIDE that his outfit would see to it that the Fulani herdsmen and their cattle were registered by the Assembly and given a place to settle.
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