Magnus Eze, Enugu
Farmers in the South East under the aegis of the platform of Igbo Farmers Progressive Union (IPFU) have called on governors in the zone to back their recent decisions on the operations of herdsmen in the region with legislation.
The group stated that any laudable pronouncement by the governors that was not supported by legal deterrent would end up as mere ‘paper tiger’.
A statement in Enugu, yesterday, by IPFU’s protem chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu and Protem Secretary, Uchenna Nnadi, applauded the governors for waking up from their slumber
He said the union has prepared a comprehensive draft bill on the issue that would be forwarded to the five states.
“We are encouraged that suddenly, our political leaders are seemingly waking up to the deadly menace constituted by herdsmen terror on our people; destruction and devastation on our lands and farms.
“We are, however, concerned that the communique seems to hinge on pious hope and not backed by legal deterrents; so long as there is no positive action by way of legislation through our five State Houses of Assembly, all the measures will end up as another paper tiger.
“What was lacking was legislation, like an anti-open grazing law, expanding the mandate of the Forest Guards and giving them legal teeth to tackle the herdsmen, not trees. We have already prepared a draft bill which we believe is comprehensive and would be forwarded as our little contribution to a resolution of this menace.
“We recommend a timeline for all states to enact the necessary legislation to enforce the resolution; otherwise it will end up as the earlier communique of 28th July 2019. We further recommend that the interstate security committee must also be backed by a Memorandum of Understanding that would articulate a security template for Ala Igbo.
“We are aware, however, that the Federal Government has total operational control of the security apparatus of Nigeria. Our governors must (in tandem with the Igbo National Assembly caucus) lobby the president to extract a firm commitment that the security agencies deployed to Ala Igbo must be reflective, sensitive and friendly to the security needs of the area,” the group stated.
The farmers however, noted that similar communiqué by the governors on July 28, 2019 could not abate attacks on their people.