From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Emir of Akko emirate council in Gombe state, Alhaji Umar Muhammad Atiku, has said that the pre-planting, harvest and after harvest talks initiated by the emirate is yielding results in the pursuit of a lasting peace between farmers and herders in the area.
According to the paramount ruler, the talks which involve both actors and security agencies is what led to a quiet harvest year all around the emirate in the Akko Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
The Emir who disclosed this in an interview with Daily Sun said that machinery set up by the emirate includes, “we seat here in the palace with both parties, we discuss and collectively decide on key issues”.
“We have been able to show to the farmers and herders that we are all eating from one basket, so, if the herders should spoil what is in the basket for the farmers, they are also spoiling it for themselves and likewise the farmers.
We were able to establish a sort of cooperation to eliminate any serious animosity between the farmers and herders. We also agreed and fix a deadline for harvest and for the herders to begin roaming for any remnant in the farms,” the Emir said.
He further explains saying, “we agreed that the farmers should make sure that they removed all the produce from the farm by end of December after that, the herders are free to go in and roam and feed on the remnant and we also agreed that the farmers should not damage or burn the remnant.
While we encouraged the Chairman of the LGA to ensure that we have the local vigilante groups and security agencies to act as monitors, we identified some strategic points where the various security agents were stationed to monitor the movement of herders and their cattle, particularly during harvest time”.
Speaking on the issue of farmers and herders clash in the state, during a press briefing on Monday in Gombe, the commissioner of Internal Security and Ethical Orientation, Mr Adamu Dishi Kupto, disclosed that the state government has identified where the lapses are and is ready to take corrections.
He said, “this issue of farmers and herders is not peculiar to Gombe alone, it is all over the country and the government is doing all it can to prevent this from continuing.
The government has established a committee of farmers/herders clash under the chairmanship of the commissioner, ministry of agriculture and animal husbandry and they are doing all they can to see that this issue is resolved, that is why have less casualty this year, if compare to previous years, so, now that we have seen where the lapses are we bound to make corrections and amend things for good,” Kupto assured.