The lawmaker representing Ivo State Constituency at the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Oliver Osi, has called on constituents to defend themselves against herdsmen.
Osi was reacting to the recent attack of his constituents at Akaeze in Ivo Local Government Area of the state.
He further called on his people to defend themselves in line with the laws of the land as no amount of cow could be compared with the sacredness of human life.
The lawmaker, who expressed shock at the recent development in his constituency, regretted that despite the peace treaty and long-term cooperation that had existed between Ivo people and the herdsmen, the herdsmen had the guts to attack a peaceful farmer in the area.
He called on security agencies to be proactive in combating crimes in the state.
“The attack meted out on the peaceful farmers of Ivo Local Government Area of the state came as a shock to me because, so many measures had been put in place to ensure cooperation and peace between us and the herdsmen. It is like there is something in them that instigates them to cause violence, killings and destruction.
“How can a reasonable person bring in cow into someone’s farmland where he or she have invested lots of money anticipating that the yield would be used to feed his family and boost the economy; and then it would be destroyed by cattle? We are against cattle colony and open grazing in Ebonyi State.
“We cannot allow such act of violence and destruction of property and farm produce to continue in Ivo local government area of the state and perpetrators go scot-free.
“These people should be prosecuted in line with the laws of the land. How can you come into somebody’s land and impose yourself on him or her? I want to call on my people to defend themselves against such impunity in line with the law but also not take the law into their hands. Security agents are behaving as if they are being overwhelmed by the development. They have to live up to the expectation of the people,” he said.
