Benue Community Leaders Destroying RUGA Sign Post, Fencing Marks

Abdullahi HammedJuly 2, 2019

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Benue community leaders destroying RUGA sign post and fencing marks

In the video making rounds online, the leaders while destroying the properties, were heard fuming against the FG.

According to them the FG took their lands by force for Fulani herdsmen without their Consent.

Last week Saturday, the paramount ruler and people of Akpa/Otobi community in Otukpo Local Government Area, LGA, one of the areas designated by the Federal Government to host the proposed (Ruga) settlements for herdsmen in Benue State led his subjects in a peaceful protest in Otukpo town rejecting the proposal.

The people who came out in their numbers bearing placards with various inscriptions like ‘we do not have land for Ruga’, ‘open grazing is not allowed in Benue’ and ‘we will resist Ruga’ chanted war songs as they marched through major streets in the area.

One of the leaders of the protesters, Steve Ocheme said they embarked on the march to impress on the Federal Government the need to cancel, in the interest of peace, the decision to give their land to herdsmen.

“We are peasant farmers and we can’t grow our crops with cattle. We are calling on Federal Government to reconsider this plan in order not to throw our communities into crisis,” he said. On his part, the Acting District Head, Akpa Otobi community, Chief Ochinya Ofeka said, “we gave lands to Federal Government for dam, Research Center and for the School of Health Sciences but we don’t have for open grazing in whatever name or form.”