Women of Okutukutu-Epie community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have appealed to Governor Douye Diri to come to their aid over threats on their lives by suspected herdsmen in the area.
They alleged repeated destruction of their crops and farmlands by the herdsmen.
Arising from a meeting at the Okutukutu-Epie town hall in Yenagoa, Mrs Tina Etime, who spoke on behalf of the women, said there has been constant harassment and threats of rape from the herders.
Etime stated that because of the repeated destruction of the crops and farmlands, the women decided to report the matter to the police in company of the paramount ruler of the community, but to their greatest surprise, the police instead detained some of their leaders but freed the herdsman.
She said: “For over 10 years now, these herders have been eating and destroying our crops until November last year, we reported the matter to the police.
“But on taking one of the herdsmen to the police for destroying our crops, the herder was released and the three women that reported the matter were instead detained and asked to pay N100, 000.00 as bail for refusing to report to the police a week earlier.
“What is most annoying is that after we have cultivated our crops in the morning, these herders with their cattle will invade our farms in the evening and destroy what was.
“As it is, we the women are even afraid to go to our farms, because we do not know what will happen to us if these herders confront us as they normally bear weapons.
“We want the government to come and help us as we are helpless and do not know what to do to stop these people from destroying our farmlands. Our source of livelihood is being threatened and if we don’t go to farm, what will we eat? So we want government to do something about our plight,” she stated.
Chief Bonus Wumbo, the Provost Marshall, Epie-Atissa Developmental Assembly, accused the police of looking other way when matters that concern the destruction of crops and farmlands by herdsmen are reported.
When contacted, the police spokesman in Bayelsa State confirmed the lawyer to the community had already written a petition to the state police command and the area commander had dispatched some men to assess the level of damage in the affected farmland.
He said though the case was reported to the area command in Yenagoa, and the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) invited the two parties, after the invitation, none of them showed interest in the case again.
Secretary of Cattle Rearers Association, Mr Ali Maiwada, declined comments on the matter.
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