By Hugo Odiogor
The Obi of Onicha-Ugbo Agbogidi Chukwumalieze has called on the governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, to take urgent steps to check the menace of Hausa/Fulani cattle men who have become a security threat to communities in the state.
The monarch, who spoke in Onicha-Ugbo, said, “ These Hausa/Fulani cattle men have an agenda that we are yet to unravel, they are not here to rear cattle but to ravage our communities and terrorise our people. They are destroying economic crops, raping and killing women and perpetuating acts of robbery, ”.
In fact, clashes between Hausa/Fulani cattle men have become regular feature in Delta State where they have attacked communities in Ibusa in Oshimili North, Ogume in Ndokwa West local government areas. In Ogume, no fewer that 10 persons were killed in a clash with cattle men who were alleged to have attacked the villagers with AK 47 rifles.
Narrating the experience of his people Agbogidi Chukwumalieze said: “The cattlemen just unleash their cattle peoples’ farms to eat up their cassava plants,and other cash crops, thereby destroying the economic lives in the communities, they also harvest yams from people’s farms.”
According to the monarch, “We have discussed this matter with the governor and the police leadership, we want them to take action to check these rampaging Hausa/Fulani cattle men, they have become a major source of security threat in the country”.
Commenting on the choice of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as the Odogwu designate of the town, the monarch said: “ It is not the prerogative of the Obi to nominate any of the four Olinzele chiefs who are the warrior chiefs that command troops and have the responsibilities of defending the four major territorial frontiers that make up the town.
“It is the duty of each of the four villages to nominate a potential occupant of any of the four titles whenever there is a vacancy. My role as the Obi is to accept whoever is presented to me as the bonafide choice of the concerned village or villages.”
To dispel doubts over the choice of Kachikwu, the Obi called on the Odafe of Ishiekpe, who is the head of the village, to announce publicly announce the name of the person they have chosen as the next Odogwu of the town and to present their nominee the king.
Agbogidi Chukwumalieze said “the Odogwu -designate has been a pillar of support in the social and economic development of the town even before he became Isagba of the town.”
The gestures offering of scholarship to over 900 students, as well as empowering young people with motor cycles and the elderly ones with bicycles. He singularly tarred the major road linking the town to the Asaba- Lagos express road.
Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.