Agogo: Military to flush out Fulani

The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has disclosed that military personnel and policemen from the capital will be dispatched to Agogo in the Asante Akyem North District of the Ashanti Region to drive out nomadic Fulani herdsmen who have been terrorising inhabitants of the area.

A total of 20 military officers and 40 policemen will help security officers already on the ground to protect residents as authorities find solutions to the security problem.

The herders have been accused of several atrocities in the area, mainly destruction of property and farmlands belonging to indigenes, who are mostly farmers. The nomads have also been accused of robbery and rape.

The latest killing of a 27-year-old man on Tuesday 2nd February comes just a week after the youth in the area issued a warning to all the nomads to leave the area with their cattle or face their wrath.

The victim, identified as David Atia, tried to prevent some Fulani herdsmen with their cattle from invading his groundnut farm, sparking a brawl which led to them opening fire on him.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Peter Anarfi Mensah, told Joy FM on Wednesday that the authorities have devised short, medium, and long term solutions to deal with the problem but the immediate solution was the deployment of more security to the area.

“The immediate solution which starts from today is the sending of more security men. The main objective is for them to contain the nomadic Fulani and drive them away from that area and make sure that they maintain the peace.”

He said the security situation in the area had escalated following the recent death “most especially, the calling up of the youth of the area to take things into their own hands and we need to contain it immediately”.

He further stated that, “the movement of the nomads have been unpredictable, making it difficult for the regional security” to carry out a court ruling in 2012 directing the nomads to be sacked from Agogo.

Meanwhile the regional security is expected to hold a press conference to outline the action plan. It is reported that the chiefs and people of the area are also locked in a meeting to discuss the way forward.

The action to flush out the nomads has not been received well by the Fulani community. Prof Osman Barry, head of the Fulani community in Ghana, has said that there will be economic and security implications from the action and proposes a dialogue between stakeholders.

“This action is really a lawless action and has nothing to do with court action. Problems are caused by human beings and addressed by human beings. We are appealing for restraint… to try to reach a reasonable amicable solution and you say you are ejecting people forcefully. We are praying to God to have a solution to the crisis which is developing to other dimensions. The consequence cannot be predicted; people may lose their lives and they can return to hurt the people,” Prof Barry stated.