SINCE  January 31, 2016, the atmosphere of several communities of Ndokwa East, Delta State located in the West Bank of River Niger, has been distinctly uncomfortable. This was the day Fulani herdsmen, fully armed with their AK 47 riffles moved in swiftly with their cattle into the farm lands of Abala and Utchi communities including their satellite communities that are  in the thick rain forest.

The invasion of these riverine communities has jarring effects on the people, recovery will be an arduous task. With the occupation of these communities by the herdsmen, the panic  stricken farmers including women and aged ones hurriedly crossed the River Niger with ‘hired speed boats  to Anambra communities of Ogbakuba, Atani, Obeagwe, Ossamala, Akili Ozizo and others.                   –

– – -The invaders brazenly raped women and wounded several farmers, some are currently being treated at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba. Further more, all socio-economic activities came to a shuddering halt with the popular Utchi market and schools closed. Painfully, those who fled in large numbers are still taking refuge in those Anambra communities, abandoning their farm work.

This important agricultural belt of Delta State has been reduced to a war tom zone where no human activities are taking place at the peak of the planting season of the new year. In parts of Delta state, the same herdsmen have devastated farms with farmers and other innocent people maimed or killed. The most worrisome of unwholesome activities of these invaders is the mindless burning of farms in Delta State. The case of the entire farm lands of Ndokwa remains a sorry spectacle where the farmers are in hopeless situation, watching their sources of livelihood terminated by unrestrained armed herdsmen.

The five day occupation of these vast farmlands spanning over several hectares of land by  the cows under the watch of the armed herdsmen resulted in the destruction of vegetable,  cassava, yam, pepper farms planted in November 2015 the beginning of farming season. As if the dislocated socio-economy of the area was not enough, the numerous streams, ponds and lakes the major sources of drinking water of the people were massively polluted by the rampaging cows. This is an area of Ndokwa East Local Government where Federal Bureau of Statistics says 90% of the people still drink water from unsanitary sources.

The farm products of these communities known as Ogbalu is critical to the vast Eastern  states. Their yam called Ogbalu yam will be absent in these Eastern States including Lagos markets during the next harvest.

With these huge losses, the farmers will definitely start replanting by borrowing money from local money lenders with their exorbitant interest rates to purchase yam seedlings, cassava stems when they have not redeemed the loans lent them by the same creditors. That is the dilemma of those farmers today. This is an unprecedented agony inflicted on them by mindless Fulani herds men and their cattle.

The callous invasion of the farm land of these hapless farmers has thrown them in disarray, not knowing what to do next. They are confronted with numerous problems relating to how to raise funds for the  education of their children who are already in the colleges and univerisities, how to rebuild or rehabilitate their homes  destroyed by 2012 flood and that of other years. It is worthy to note that these communities are permanently haunted by the spectre of coastal erosion and living next door to Okpai gas plant with unending gas flaring and oil exploration destroying the economic trees and depleting their farm yields. Indeed, their agonies are endless, facing  poor 2016 harvest.

Apart from the recent damages the herdsmen and their cows inflicted on these coastal  communities of  Ndokwa East of  Delta state ,                                                                                                                the number of innocent people killed across the                                                               country by the herds men is still ballooning to horrendous proportion without the appropriate  authorities, the cattle owners, their state governments raising eye brows. We should be asking ourselves some pertinent questions. What are  the security implications of this to the nation?  Who issued licenses to the herdsmen and for what purposes?      Does                                                                        the law permit”                                                      the  reckless use of the AK 47 rifles by these privileged herdsmen?

It is baffling that the timely intervention of the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who caused the dispatch of police men to the occupied communities did not make them budge, even the policemen deployed to the vast area, strenuously appealed to them to withdraw their cattle and leave the area, they remained adamant, maintaining their obduracy as if their pernicious activities should not be regulated by the law of the land. It is difficult to explain why the herdsmen flagrantly refuse to withdraw from the occupied farms. For them to disobey the police in a  Nigerian State where the constitution of the nation clearly spelt that the governor of a State, is the chief Security Officer of the State, means that the Fulani  herdsmen are above the law. What a pity!

These are people known to be innocuous in the past. Why the sudden change of their modus  oparandi? What is the motivation of wielding their rifles menacingly as they move around the tropical rain forest searching for grazing ground? Why is it that they are the only ones allowed to carry guns in these forests and the streets of the cities and rural areas while the farmers in the forest, their hosts are not armed? These herdsmen appear to be the people allowed to carry guns, why? It is only robbers who unlawfully use guns to execute their evil deeds.

I recall vividly that during the civil war of the late 1960s, our fathers who were civil servants including primary school teachers surrendered by their double barrel, local hunters did same. Since then nobody in most part of the Delta State especially farmers go to the farms with guns. I. Then what explains the use of guns overtly by these herdsmen traversing our forests without being intercepted by the police?

This sad situation compels one to ask if the law enforcement agents have capitulated, why the timid acquiescence by them in handling this serious security issue. This security problem that has become a nightmare to many states of the Federation, offers an ample opportunity for a national dialogue before we are consumed by the herdsmen.Meanwhile, the people of the affected communities have been crushed by anguish. Who will save them?

PaulOrie,Orie, is publicity secretary, Ndosimili Devlopment Union , Delta State.