PEACE GRADUALLY RETURNS TO OMALA AFTER YEARS OF HOSTILITIES AS FULANI HERDERS EMBRACE PEACE INITIATIVES.
Over the years, Omala people have lived with many settlers including the fulani herders. Like in other human relationship, there were occasions of rifts between the indigenous farmers and the herders. How ever, in the past, such cases of clashes between the herders and the farmers were usually resolved amicably.
There were times in Omala LGA when Fulanis were not violent to their host. These were the times that fulanis settled in Omala LGA with all their family members including wives and children. These were the times that the fulanis usually invited our people to grace their naming ceremony”Suna”.These were the times that fulanis would come to stay in our communities both in the day times and in the night times.
During these times, no fulani would ever think of burning down a house or a community. These were times when fulanis would not steal from our farms but would leave our crops intact and come down to our communities with their prepared cow milks “nono” and “fura” to exchange for our maize and cassava and yam. During these times fulanis will call on our people to take for free, their dead cow and sell at a cheap price, their sick cow to our people. There were these times in the past when we were living amicably. We never used guns lethal weapons against ourselves.
How ever, about ten years ago, the clashes between the Agatu people of Benue State and the fulani herders started extending to Omala LGA leading to the fulanis and the Agatu people using the land of Omala for carrying out their rivalry like a battle ground. When this situation was getting out of control,there was a time that it was declared in Omala LGA that if the fulanis and the Agatu people cannot live in peace they should stay away from Omala LGA. However, this declaration did not stop either the Agatu people from Benue from coming into Omala LGA and The fulani herders too did not leave our land but only avoided our villages and communities. The fulani herders started avoiding our communities but they were living in our bushes while the Agatu people never stopped living and visiting Omala LGA.
There have continued to be cases of the Fulani herders and the Agatu people having clashes in our bushes despite the declaration that the two people should leave Omala LGA.
This clashes between them in our bushes usually led to the killing of cattle in the bushes. Sometimes, some of these cattle that were killed were taken away by people for food. This act of people taking the cattle killed during the clashes between the Fulani herders and the Agatu people of Benue State in Omala LGA led to some attacks in communities in Omala LGA during which killings and burning of houses and stealing of properties took place. More so, the Fulani herders never stop the destruction of farms despite avoiding our communities. It is on record that major suspect of major incidence of destruction of houses and villages in Omala LGA were the fulanis.
The relationship between the indigenous people of Omala LGA and the fulani herders continued to deteriorate to the extent that a great gulf was established between the relationship of the fulani herders and the indigenous people of Omala LGA such that the indigenous people of Omala LGA would abandon their farms on sighting fulani herders. The crises were at it’s peak. Communities like Agbenema, Agabifo, Ajichekpa, Olechu, Ajodoma, Ibado, etc were visited and houses were destroyed and properties worth millions of naira were carted away .
Sometimes in 2023, the fulani took control of three settlements of Omagede, Bagana and Patani. The fulani herders have continued to launch their attacks on our communities and destruction of our farms from this base. They have even been cases of kidnapping and attacks suspected to be carried out by the fulanis in Omala LGA along Ojuwo Ugwechi, Iyade road,etc. People could no longer attend our major markets in Bagana and Ikede. They could no longer ply the Ikede road and Bagana road freely.
Between October 2023 and January 2024, the fulani herders introduced another dangerous dimensions to their attacks on our farms in Omala LGA especially in Omala north taking the advantage of their safe haven at Bagana. It became a daily thing for Fulani herders and their cattle to visit people’s farms. The Fulani herders would stand by watching as the cattle ate up and wantonly destroy farms. The people of Omala LGA were helpless and hopeless as there were no either political, religious nor community leaders that responded adequately to their challenges or to proffer solutions to their plights. This was the situation before the appointment of Hon. Edibo Ameh Mark on 9th of January,2024.
On assumption of duty, the new Chairman of the Transition Committee CTC along with his committee members and aides swung into action by getting to the remote and other causes of the crises in Omala LGA. Various peace meetings were held separately with the indigenous people of Omala LGA and the fulani herders in different locations. Outcome of these meetings suggested the need for negotiation of peace having ascertained that the fulanis as well as the people of Omala LGA are clamouring for peace. Neither the fulanis nor the indigenous people of Omala LGA were comfortable with the lingering crises and mutual fears and suspicion, threats and insecurities. The chairman therefore called for the first interactive session between the leaders of the indigenous people of Omala LGA and the fulani herders and put the venue at Omala LGC Secretariat. The meeting was very successful and for the first time the fulanis were ready to sincerely work with the leadership of Omala LGC to restore peace.
The fulanis confirmed that they have been several peace meetings between them and the former chairman of the local government at different locations in Itobe, Anyigba and Ankpa but since the new chairman has demonstrated sincere commitment for peace by calling them to the soil of Omala LGA to negotiate peace with the indigenous people of Omala LGA,they will fully embrace the peace initiatives. This was the first peace meetings in Omala LGA soil in more than 10 years. A Peaceful Coexistence Committee comprising the indigenous people of Omala LGA and the fulani settlers was recommended at the meeting.
While this deliberation and peace negotiation process was on going between the leaders of the indigenous people of Omala LGA and the fulani settlers of Omala LGA, a crisis occured in Agojeju Odo community involving the younger fulani herders and some farmers leading to injury, amputation and death of three fulanis and the death of three Indigenes of the community and a sick visitor who came to receive treatment at a clinic. The timely intervention of the Chairman of the Transition Committee as well as the cooperation of the leadership of the fulani herders in the state, the zone and the Local Government, and that of the people of the Agojeju Odo community helped greatly in restoring normalcy within a relatively short time.
The process of selecting members of the peace committee was therefore suggested during the meeting. The selection and screening process is already at the peak stage and it is believed that within a short time from now the screening of the nominated members of the peace committee will be completed and members will be inaugurated to resume duty with full force.
It is important to state here that after the announcement of the peace accord/agreement and the inauguration of the Omala Extraordinary Peaceful Coexistence and Security Committee two weeks ago, there were heightened destruction of farms by herders. The Transition Committee and the traditional leaders of the indigenous people of Omala LGA as well as the leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria MACBAN have intelligent information revealing the cause of this last occurrence.
Saboteurs who are underestimating the readiness of this government to restore peace in Omala LGA are mistaking the commitment of this government for peace for a weakness.
The chairman has openly announced and warned all fulanis, other settlers and indigenes of Omala LGA that he is as ready to fight anyone who is remotely or openly against the peace move as much as he is ready to make peace happen in Omala and that under his watch, Omala settlers and indigenes must live peacefully without fear and suspicion.
He has said that the fulanis should quickly and immediately call their children to order who are going about with cattle in our bushes for grazing and that if they are finding it difficult in any way to get their children to behave themselves, henceforth he will lead the peace and security team into the bush to bring out any Fulani boy who is terrorising the people of Omala LGA in the guise of grazing.
For those who had lost their farms and other properties, the chairman is pleading with them to be patient with him that under his watch their farms that were destroyed will be adequately compensated especially with the commitment of the leadership of the fulani herders who have stated that they would move round with the committee to ascertain the level of destruction of farms in each communities and then sit down with the farmers to ensure that they are compensated as a mark of their own commitment to the peace initiatives. The chairman therefore assures all residents of Omala LGA that peace is closer than we are thinking.
So far so good, the situation in Omala as regards the relationship between the Fulani herders and the indigenous people of Omala LGA is that of a gradual return to peaceful coexistence and the chairman wishes to advise media reporters to do a good job and desist from sending half truth that can jeopardise peace, safety and security of the people. He said that a true testament to good journalism is the reliability of the information that a reporter sends. Half truth and poor investigative journalism must not be allowed to thrive in a safe society.
While we will agree with the report on various social media platforms that there is an increased presence of fulani herders in Omala Local Government lately, we wish to say that this presence is the result of the outcome of the peace negotiation between the settlers and the farmers by Omala LGA Transition Committee headed by the chairman. This presence is not to harm but to return peace to our communities.
The unusual presence of large number of young fulani herders in Abejukolo three days ago was at the instance of the chairman of Kogi State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Rearers Association and his Youth Leader and former Secretary who doubles as the last SSA to the Governor of Kogi State on Fulanis and Farmers Matters. This leaders of fulani herders ordered all young fulani herders in the bush in Omala LGA to withdraw from the bush for a meeting with him in Abejukolo. It was a meeting arranged to enable them get personal details of all fulanis in the bush of Omala LGA in order to assign location to them and ensure that they settle at a physical location in order to halt continuous guerrilla attacks by stranger herdsmen in Omala LGA. This was one of the various resolutions in the negotiation for peace. They are to be told to drop guns and use sticks and live in communities with their wives and children. This is the process that is on.
The chairman and the security agents in Omala LGA wish to inform the general public that reporters and anyone making public statements on social media platforms and any other platforms including in WhatsApp discussions regarding the state of security in Omala LGA must be guided by correct information as anyone and any media reporters who contravene provisions of cyber security law may have to be invited to substantiate or provide evidence for their stories. We have achieved significant progress with every stakeholders who are involved in the crises embracing peace and truly peace is returning to Omala LGA gradually and steadily. We boldly invite media reporters to visit Omala LGA and do their investigation and report their findings. More so, all sons and daughters of Omala LGA who are concerned about the peace and security of our people should endeavour to visit home and have authentic information for themselves as their over reliance on hearsay from their friends and relatives may not give them correct information and reporting such information on public platform may be dangerous to peace and security. The chairman therefore wish to say that the insecurity in Omala which he met on ground is a test of his capacity and he will convince everyone that under his watch, Omala people will sleep with their two eyes closed and go about their economic activities without fear, harassment or molestation.
He wishes to reiterate that no one will be spared who is caught short changing the peace initiatives therefore both indigenes and settlers must be ready to live in peace. Omala land belongs to the Igala- speaking indigenous people of Omala LGA and they are the only indigenous people in Omala. Every other tribe in Omala LGA are residents (settlers). How ever, Omala is not a nation on its own. It is part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The constitution of Nigeria allows for all Nigerians to live in any part of Nigeria provided the person is ready to live in peace. The chairman therefore will not condone statements suggesting that a particular ethnic group should be disallowed from entering or settling in Omala LGA. The government will be fully in charge of the security of Omala LGA and no individual or group of people is/ are above the law and the government.
Rest assured, peace is here and those who may want to truncate the peace of the people of Omala LGA, the government of Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo under the watch of Hon. Edibo Ameh Mark will drive out the person from any of the communities of Omala and it’s bushes.
