Government is considering operation cow-leg to address Fulani menace in Kwahu Afram Plains if leaders of the nomadic herdsmen fail to put the situation under control.
The Minister sent a strong signal to the cattle-rearers, who use their cattle to destroy crops in the area during his engagement with chiefs and farmers on Tuesday 8th February, 2022 at Maamekrobo and Tease.
At Maamekrobo, the Minister who was also accompanied by the Police Command led by the Eastern Regional Police Commander DCOP Fosu Ackaah and the Nkawkaw Divisional Police Commander ACP Kofi Adu, the District Chief Executive for Afram Plains South Evans Kyei Ntiri began his tour to the area by a meeting with Chief of Abetifi who doubles as Adontenhene for Kwahu Traditional Area Akyemfour Asiedu Agyemang III and some affected farmers.
The team also had an engagement with the regent of Maamekrobo Nana Oduro Agyekum and some farmers and ended the tour with some chiefs and elders at Tease including Krontihene for Petiku Nana Adu Parko.
Agoo News Ebenezer Kojo Nyavor reports that the Minister and Police Commander also engaged with the security men in the area, appreciated them for their good works since robbery menace have been reduced as compared to the previous days.
They also encouraged the security men to continue delivering good service for the people of Afram Plains.
Addressing the media, the Eastern Regional Minister Seth Kwame Acheampong said “not too long ago the chiefs and the people of this area organized a press conference and spoke vehemently against the usual nomadic herders’ conflicts with crop farmers. As a result, the Regional Security Council held a meeting and engaged the parties to ensure there is peace in the neighborhood. We require peace in this area; we can do nothing but ensure that we have peace.’’
He added that “first and foremost the commander in chief, the president of the republic Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo has sworn to hold this country together, and as his subordinate representing him in this region it is incumbent upon us to ensure that that mandate is brought to bear.
“We are here to deepen the conversation and ensure there is order for each and every person to go about their duties… we are not against cattle rearing folks… that are economic activity, equally we will not sit unconcerned for them to destroy crop farmers produced, that is also illegal.
The minister believes making them understand what must be done right before taking any other action after failing to comply with the directives is the best way to go.
”So we must ensure that there is real understanding; the necessary measures that are supposed to put in place have been spelt out. We are asking the farmers who are nomads and traveling with their cattle to be wary that government has invested in the ranch at ‘wawase’ and ‘agbodeke’ which are fully completed as we speak… ‘forifori’ and ‘kyemfre’ are under construction and we want to use this medium to caution them that, please make use of those facilities, if you do not and operation cow-leg sits in and animals rearing go against the rules, they will be dealt with.
“These are the rules and we want everybody to respect the rules hence the need to engage stakeholders for them to appreciate the position of government and understand us. So we want all to appreciate and understand us not just to go ahead and enforce without engagement. We are doing and running a dispensation that permits us to engage; that is a democracy and this is how we understand it … that is how we are going to work with it.” he stated.
The Chiefs and farmers appealed to the Minister to ensure this menace is addressed amicably since it is gradually getting out of hand.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/Ebenezer Kojo Nyavor