Eleven months ago the Nenwe community in Aninri LGA of Enugu State was in the limelight when they vehemently but peacefully resisted fulani people settling in their farms with hundreds of cattles i their farmland.
Many interpretations were given to this and the Federal government promptly through the state government sent a delegation of all the service chiefs in the state who went to the Igwe to 'muscle out' (as we learnt) statements to the press which indicated there were no problems and that the fulanis were living in harmony in the town. This statements that went on air was later debunked by the youths through the Punch newspaper two weekend after. The youths pointed out many reports to the police and pending court cases of un honoured financial compensations, illegal occupation of 4 strategic points of the town, wanton destruction of their farm lands and harassments of women in the farms by fulani herdsmen. The whole world and the nation were told other stories.
According to the complaints from the community members that spoke to us recently the herdsmen took advantage of this apparent intimidation by the state security agencies and Governor Ugwuanyi and have continued to expand and illegally occupy their farmlands. They are obviously sure of immunity and impunity therefore have been acting to the latter. Their provocations have been daily and the youths have continued to restrain themselves from taking unilateral actions. They have complained to the community leaders who are so frightened by the state security agencies storming of the Igwe of one of the communities last year in what was said to be a 'mediatroty mission' . They have complained that nobody has come to hear from them and address their complaints the way they rushed to query why the cattle men were stopped from settling.
Some months ago according to them, some fulani harassments were reported to the police and when no actions were taken and as usual the news wasn't even reported by the press in Enugu in anyway someone in the community spoke with an online social media group who highlighted the problems. The only response was that the community was threatened by the police command of arrests if they discovered the reporters of such news of harassments and destruction by by fulani men. Meanwhile the fulanis claimed they lost a cow to unknown persons and pressed that the community pays for it. That would be the first payment by anyone since history of farm destructions being reported. Now it is what the Igbos call "beating me and telling me not to cry"
Some days ago the provocations and destructions continued and a woman in the farm was wounded by these herdsmen. The people succeeded in catching one of the herdsmen and handed him over to the police.
Now it is a clear fact that the fulani herdsmen have not relentened in targeting the town and looking for confrontations . The villagers are abandoned to themselves since they cant even report or when they report to the press they are threatened by the security chiefs of the state, they youths have been very cool headed and disciplined in handling this provocations but would like the Governor to intervene.
They have made some points clear;
- That they never leased any parcel of land to the herdsmen.
- That Nenwe is a 100% agrarian community in the Aninri LGA.
- That Nenwe town like other parts of the Old Awgu LGA being an agrarian community dosen not by culture permite OPEN GRAZING. All animals must be in the owners closed compound or they are bound to be hunted down.
- That they have hosted and tolerated cattlemen passing, even temporary brief overnight stays (since many years) and they were relatively peaceful but cant cope anymore with these new violent and arrogant new breed of fulani herdsmen with guns.
- That they don't see why herdsmen should be carrying openly AK.47 assultand battle guns in the farms and community.
- That they gently ask all herdsmen to leave the farmland they are illegally occupying with threats of gun and rape of the women
- That the State government should intervene in their removal from the lands before it results to other problems.
- That they continue to praise the youths whom we are all aware of their temperaments and wort for restraining themselves from misconducts and for being lawful in the face of these provocations.
- That the continue to ask their neighbours to be vigilant and communicate movements of criminals.
- That the whole igbo people should be aware of these provocations in Nenwe that has escalated since 2019.
We hope the state government would lend a listening ear to these cries.
