By Samuel Itsede
Protesters have taken to the streets in f Otobi/Akpa community of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State over plans by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to establish Ruga settlement for Fulani herdsmen in their area.
The people came out in their thousands in Otukpo yesterday carrying placards with various inscription, chanting protest songs insisting that they don’t have land for open grazing even as they called on the Federal Government to rescind the plan to give their land to herdsmen in the interest of peace.
One of the protesters who spoke on condition of anonimy said: “We are peasant farmers and we can’t grow our crops with cattle. We are calling on Government to rethink this move”
speaking on the development the acting district head of Akpa-Otobi, Chief Ochinya Ofeka said, “We gave lands to Federal Government for dam, Research Center and for School of Health Sciences. But we don’t have for open grazing in whatever name or form”
The protesters also handed a protest letter to the Caretaker Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Hon. George Alli, who appealed for calm and urged them not to take laws into their hands.
His words, “First of all I want to thank you all for your peaceful approach towards this matter. I urge you all to stay calm, your concerns will be addressed.
“The Nigerian Constitution is very clear on the land use act. The ownership of all lands within any state in the Federation is vested in the state government.”
“And like His Excellency the Executive Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom said, Benue is in full support of ranching, but we are against open grazing under any nomenclature, whether cattle colony or Ruga Settlement”.
