…govt should fish those responsible out- Muslim Cleric
By Grandball Joel,
MOTORISTS plying the Ewu-Urhobo road to other communities in Ughelli South Local Government of Delta were stranded for over several hours as women from the community in protest barricaded the major road over
what they described their continuous raping by suspected Fulani herdsmen raving the area.
The women in their hundreds displaying leaves with songs such as ‘We no go gree’, ‘Fulani must go’, ‘We are tired of Fulani herdsmen raping us to death’ alleged that Fulani herdsmen have taken over their farm lands.
Speaking, the leader of the women, Mrs. Queen Dieseruvwe, said, “We are protesting against the Fulani Herdsmen who are raping our women in their own farm, they block roads to waylay women going to market and those either going or coming from farm, they sleep them and those who dare to resist them will be macheted.
“The Fulani herdsmen will go to our farm, uproot our cassava and destroy them and until the Fulani leave our land with their cows, we will not leave the road.
We want governor Okowa to prevail on them to leave our land because the issue has been reported at the Police Area Command in Ughelli but nothing was done and that is why we are protesting.
According to Queen, one of the women popularly known as Madam bread from Edjekota-Ogor allegedly raped by this Fulani herdsmen died this morning from the trauma and one other who was injured is receiving
treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
Leader of the Muslims in Ughelli South Local Government, Imam Muhamadu Young Okotie who spoke on the issue said, “The truth is that what is really going on is not too good and we will as much as we can to bring
these Fulani herdsmen to book because you can’t come to rape the women
in the bush after destroying their cassava.
“The women have complained to the extent that we are trying to see how we can make peace to reign and at the end of the day, issue of raping will now come up again, we try to fish out these Fulani and bring them to book.
Appealing to the women to maintain peace, Okotie held that the council chairman has instructed that all those involved in the act should be fish out and made to face the wrath of the law.
However, the vice chairman of Ughelli South, Ofiogoma who was at the scene of protest decline comment. He said, “I don’t want to talk to press over the matter.”
As at the time of this report, combine team of security agencies from the 222 Battalion, Agbarha-Otor, Ughelli Area Command and the Divisional Police Officer from Otu-Jeremi, division were at the scene of the protest pacifying the women to tend of the line of peace.
