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Women from the Epie/Atissa communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest against the alleged menace of herdsmen.
The women waving leaves at the Tombia Roundabout, Etegwe axis of Yenagoa, also barricaded the ever busy Mbiama – Yenagoa road, which is the major road leading into the state capital to drive home their demand for herdsmen to leave their farmlands. Chanting songs, they alleged invasion of their farmlands, destruction of their crops and the negative impact on them as agrarian communities.
Former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson had set up a committee to enforce restriction of grazing activities to the Bayelsa Oil Palm Estate, Elebele near Yenagoa during his second term in office.
However, nothing was done to punish non-compliance and it has become a common sight as herdsmen move their cattle along major roads in Yenagoa and Amassoma leaving a trail of smelling droppings and gridlocks on highways.
Farmers have also been feeling the brunt of grazing activities as their crops are not spared by the herdsmen who clandestinely allow their animals to destroy farms without any recriminations, our correspondent said.
With the state government allegedly keeping quiet over the menace posed by the herdsmen, the women took the bull by the horns by staging the protest to draw public attention to the destruction of their means of livelihood.
The women were heard shouting that enough is enough and that herdsmen should leave their farmlands and urged the state government to protect them and their crops from the herdsmen.
One of them said: “We cannot continue to keep quiet over this issue. We don’t want cattle in our area again. It is time for government to act before something else happens.”
Governor Douye Diri has declared agriculture as a priority area and urged all executive members to own their personal farms, but his administration is yet to address the menace posed by open grazing to the issue of food security in the state which depends on neighbouring states for food supplies.
The protest by the women on Wednesday is among coordinated public outcries over the devastating effects of open grazing by herdsmen in the state, as compared to neighbouring Delta State where there had been incessant feuds between the herdsmen and farmers, as well as reported cases of rape and destruction of farmlands and crops by the herdsmen.
