In the wake of the recent dispute between the Uwheru community and herdsmen, the Chairman, Delta State Livestock Management Committee, Chief Julius Egbedi has assured of peaceful coexistence between both parties.
Giving the assurance during a townhall meeting with herdsmen and stakeholders in Ughelli North which held at the Council Secretariat, Egbedi said that the state government would ensure that there was no more loss of lives and properties in the community.
He said a Committee would be set up to thouroughly examine the issues with an aim to bring a lasting resolution.
He further called on the herdsmen present to reach out to their colleagues still in the bushes to desist from engaging in any action that would further escalate the tension, warning that any culprit caught would be made to face the full extent of the law.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Ughelli North Local Government Council, Hon. Adode Godwin, expressed optimism that the conflict would soon come to an end with the quick intervention of the state government.
Earlier, the President General, Uwheru clan, Chief Hon. Igbedi MacPherson, decried the damage done to farms by the cattle, saying that it had caused untold hardship to members of the community.
He thanked the state government for its prompt intervention and urged the state government to provide alternate grazing grounds for the herders to forestall future conflicts that would negatively impact food production in the state.
Also speaking, the national president, Niger Delta Farmers Association, Uwheru branch, Mr Jonathan Efiavwore, frowned at the negative effect of the farmer/ herders conflict on the community, adding that the community which was once peaceful became very uncomfortable following the high state of insecurity.
According to him, Uwheru community which was one of the communities in the state with the highest rate of food production had become a shadow of itself as a result of this conflict and urged the state government to find a lasting solution.
Reacting, the Public Relations Officer, Delta Cattle Dealers Association, Alhaji Jibril Haruna, said it was unfortunate that the principal proponents of the conflict were herdsmen from outside the state, who access the community through the boundaries between the state and their sister state.
He however promised to reach out to members of the Association, so as to seek for ways to fish out the strange herdsmen in the state and with relevant security agencies, bring an end to their nefarious activities.
Present at the meeting were all Committee members, some affected farmers, stakeholders from the community and herdsmen.
