An account of the prevalent evil of Fulani Herdsmen in Isoko as recounted by Chief Afahokor Akpovienehe Duncan
When you read of the Fulani herdsmen menace, it’s sounds more like a cartoon film until you get a taste of their evil.
This is Omohoror Lake Umeh, a Lake that we have been fishing since the days of our fathers. When it’s time to harvest the natural Lake , it normally takes between 4 to 5 weeks to get Lake fully harvested with traditional fishing baskets and nets. The fishermen usually Camp there throughout the fishing expedition. We fish the lake annually and the results have been consistently high.
This year, three days into our fishing expedition at the camp, the Fulani herdsmen brought their cows to the lake to drink water unchallenged and they requested for packets of cigarettes, which my fellow fishermen promised to give to them and the next day when they came, they were given the cigarettes and they assured us that we won’t harass us,since we are friendly. The fourth day another set came armed with AK47 and requested for 200,000 before we can continue fishing, after much negotiation, they were given 40,000 this was after severely shots were fired into the air .
We thought giving them the money was the end of our nightmare, behold we were wrong, they came again on the seventh day and asked us to vacate the fishing camp. Off course, we left the fishing camp and reported the incident to Sir Itiako Constantine Ikpokpo Isoko south local government Chairman, who promptly reported same to the Commissioner of Police and the SA to the Governor of Delta state on Hausa-Fulani affairs. The SA , Serki of South south and a supervisory councillor sent by the Chairman visited the area,wherein they established contacts with the herdsmen leaders and asked them to leave the area. Whilst thanking the Local government Chairman for his swift response, hopefully we will returned back to Omohoror Lake this week believing that they will adhere the directive of the SA and the Local government Chairman.
Most of the fish have escaped the fence because of our sudden break, That will not get us broken as we still hope to get a good catch. The government of Delta state must do all within its powers to stop this evil men from our forestHE
