Ghana Must Take A Cue From Nigeria

The Nigerian Guardian newspaper, on Thursday, April 21, 2016, published a story headlined, “Fulanis invade farms, shoot guard …Buhari orders military deployment.”

According to the story, about 18 persons, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, stormed some farms in the Lagun Village of the Lagelu Local Council in Oyo State, Nigeria, and shot the chief security guard, one Jimmy Aido.

The story continued that the suspected Fulani herdsmen also robbed the residents of the farms and carted away an undisclosed amount of money in the process.

The gunmen were said to have first invaded Ardis Farms, a large section of the area that belongs to the former Secretary to the Oyo State Governor, Ayodel Adigun, and ransacked it, before moving to other settlements in the neighbouring villages of Adedokun and Alapata, both in the Lagelu local government area.

“An eyewitness account had it that the invaders, armed with sophisticated weapons, had earlier robbed unsuspecting motorists along the Iwo-Ibadan Road for some hours, before attacking the farms along the axis. They raided each farm and carted away heavy sums of money and foodstuffs,” the story narrated.

Displeased with the way things were going, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the deployment of the military to states currently battling to contain conflicts between farmers and Fulani herdsmen.

The deployment, according to a spokesman for the President, Garba Shehu, was part of measures to end the scourge that had claimed several lives and affected farming activities in the affected states.

Already, the Guards Brigade of the Nigeria Army has plunged into action, deploying soldiers to bring the situation under control. So far, the soldiers have arrested 92 Fulani herdsmen in Abuja.

The suspected herdsmen were said to have told the soldiers that they were on a mission to recover their stolen cows. The military troops recovered “one pump action gun, 19 cartridge dane guns, 118 cartridge ammo, 28 cutlasses, 3 jack knives, 14 sticks, 7 torch lights, certificate of occupancy, assorted charms and hard drugs.”

From the ongoing, it is abundantly clear that President Muhammadu Buhari is not taking the issue of the Fulani herdsmen lightly, and is determined to reduce it to the barest minimum, if not eradicate it.

It is against this backdrop that The Chronicle is urging President John Dramani Mahama to take a cue from his Nigerian counterpart to deal with the Fulani herdsmen saga once and for all.

The issue of the Fulani herdsmen has been a thorny matter affecting both countries, but, the bold manner in which the Nigerian leader is tackling the menace goes to demonstrate his willingness to free farmers in the oil rich country.

Even though a joint team of police and military personnel, in what is known as 'Operation Cowleg' some months ago, stormed Agogo, where the Fulani herdsmen are wrecking havoc on the people, to evict them, The Chronicle is inclined to believe that their effort is simply not enough.

Another issue that is bothering Ghanaians is the fact that since the fight between the Fulani herdsmen and Agogo farmers kick-started several months ago, only a hand full of the nomads have been arrested, unlike in Nigeria, where in less than a month 92 have been picked up.

We reiterate our call on Mr. John Dramani Mahama to emulate the example of his Nigerian counterpart, commission the military into action, and evict the nomads from the country to pave the way for our farmers to have their peace of mind to produce food to feed Ghanaians.