Ihuoma Chiedozie, Enugu The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Enugu State, Chukwuma Igbokwe, warned on Monday that herdsmen attacks in the South-East could lead to food scarcity in the zone. Igbokwe, who spoke with our correspondent in Enugu, noted that the areas herdsmen attacked in the zone were agrarian communities regarded as the […]
The post Herdsmen attacks: TUC boss predicts food scarcity in S’East appeared first on Punch Newspapers.
Ihuoma Chiedozie, Enugu
The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Enugu State, Chukwuma Igbokwe, warned on Monday that herdsmen attacks in the South-East could lead to food scarcity in the zone.
Igbokwe, who spoke with our correspondent in Enugu, noted that the areas herdsmen attacked in the zone were agrarian communities regarded as the ‘food baskets’ of the South-East.
The labour leader pointed out that besides the destruction of crops by cattle, most farmers in the affected communities were no longer going to their farms due to fear of possible attack by armed herdsmen.
Igbokwe said, “Definitely, the violent activities of the herdsmen in the South-East will lead to food scarcity in the zone, if things continue the way they are going at the moment.
“The situation is even more alarming because the places where herdsmen and their cattle are causing havoc are the areas that are regarded as food baskets in the South-East.
“Before the herdsmen disrupted life in Nimbo, it (Nimbo) was a known agrarian community which was able to produce so much food, but the situation is different now since herdsmen attacked the community. It is the same situation in other farming communities that are being attacked by the herdsmen.”
To address the problem, Igbokwe called on the South-East states to enact grazing laws.
According to him, the law will not only prevent misunderstanding between herdsmen and their hosts, it will also ensure that people seek redress whenever disputes arise.
“The House of Assembly should pass a grazing law in Enugu State, just as it was done in Anambra and Ekiti states.
“Other South-East states should also follow suit by enacting similar laws, so that if you destroy somebody’s crops, you pay, and if you kill or steal somebody’s cow, you also pay,” he said.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
The post Herdsmen attacks: TUC boss predicts food scarcity in S’East appeared first on Punch Newspapers.
Tanwa Ashiru
Tanwa Ashiru is a U.S Airforce veteran, and the CEO of Bulwark Intelligence Solutions. She holds an M.A in Intelligence Studies from American Military University (AMU) and is a Fellow of the Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals (AERMP).
Tanwa has provided services for various public and private sector organizations including: NATO, Nigerian DIA, U.S Army Africa Forces (USARAF), Total E&P, IBM Nigeria, U.S Embassy Abuja and many more.
She has featured in several international media publications including: BBC World, Arise News, CNBC Africa, The Guardian Nigeria, Channels Television, Financial Times, and many more.