Tuesday, September 3, 2024
UPDATE ON THE PETITION OF AKOKO – EDO MEYITI ALLAH ASSOCIATION AGAINST THE LEADERSHIP OF ANTI – OPEN GRAZING MOVEMENT IN AKOKO – EDO
The leadership of Akoko – Edo Anti – Open Grazing Movement honoured the invitation of the Assistant Inspector General of Police(AIG) Zone ‘5″ on Monday , September 2 , 2024 @10:00am
2. The petitioner alleged in his petition that the leadership of the Anti -:Open Grazing Movement led youths to burn their camps , kill cows worth millons of naira , extort monies and arrest them indiscriminately using the security
3. The petitioner further alleged that the security in Akoko – Akoko especially the DPO in Ibillo Division in Okpameri Nation has been induced to detained their members for months without granting them bail over frivolities
4. Above were the major highlights in the petition and the investigation officers provided us materials to respond and we denied all the allegations. We rather stated that they were the ones that forcefully took our lands , destroyed our farmlands and crops , rape our women and girls, kidnap our people regularly and demand for huge ransoms , drive our people from their lands , create food insecurity and make life uncomfortable for our people in generally
5. The Inspector General of Police(AIG) invited both the COMPLAINANTS and the RESPONDENTS to his office after we had responded to the allegation copiously and appropriately.
6. The AIG who welcomed both the complainants and the respondents warmly requested to know what the issues were from the CSP who was handling the matter
7. The CSP briefed the AIG appropriately and the AIG then requested the leader of the Meyiti Allah , one Alh Garuba who claimed his camp is in Imoga spoke through an INTERPRETER on behalf of the group .
8. The AIG, unambiguously demanded to know the truth and facts of the issues in contention . For the first time , I hear the Fulani herdsmen speaking the truth of the issues as follows :
a. That they have lived in Akoko – Edo LGA as far as their memories could remember
b. One Alh Momoh in Lampese – Okpameri claimed he was born in Lampese , grew up there and speak Lampese variant of Okpameri fluently . He also added that he grew up side by side with the Convener of Anti – Open Grazing Movement in Lampese to buttress his point that they have been coexisting with Akoko – Edo people for a very long time
c. That the Leadership of Akoko – Edo Anti – Open Grazing Movement confronted them with a document which they claimed was a law enacted by Edo State House of Assembly and ascented to by The Edo State Governor prohibiting OPEN GRAZING dated 15th December, 2022
d. The leadership of Meyiti Allah further claimed that if such a document ever exists, they expected that a clean copy of the law should be served to them through the relevant and appropriate authorities like the Police who are the enforcers of the law , the local government chairman who is the chief security officer of the area , Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice who is the chief law enforcer in Edo State , Ministry of Public Security and Safety , Office of the Secretary to State Government or a Special Taskforce should have been set up to domesticate , implement and enforce the law across the state rather than the SELF – HELP approach and methodology by the MOVEMENT which they herders have always argued would not work
e. Finally, the Meyiti Allah Association claimed that hitherto before now , when cow eat any farmers crops and arrests are made , both the farmers and herders involved usually employed ADR mechanism to resolve .
f. In recent times , the leaders of the herders said farmers no longer accept ADR option. They will arrest their members, take to police and charge them to court , a development which is alien and uncomfortable to the breeders association
9. It was at this point the Movement leaders interjected that almost all the issues raised in the petition were completely different from their presentation before the AIG.
10. After listening with rapt attention, the AIG requested if anybody has a clean copy of the Anti – Open Grazing Law and we presented him with a stamped copy from the Ministry of Communication and Orientation , an agency that is saddled with the responsibility of public enlightenment and advocacy
11. The AIG directed the investigating officer in charge of the petition to write to the appropriate authority in Edo State Government for further actions
12. The AIG emphasized that that the few representatives of farmers in the meeting from Akoko – Edo may not be able to sign either a communique or peace accord at the end of the meeting on behalf of the entire Akoko – Edo people because of the enormity and seriousness of the issues in contention .
13. The AIG , therefore suggested that an expanded meeting of CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS of Akoko – Edo people will be needed to allow a robust discussion to enable him and all the principal stakeholders take an informed balanced position that will be favourable to the COMPLAINANTS and to the ADMIRATION of the RESPONDENTS.
14. The AIG therefore directed that a formal letter of invitation which he personally signed should be dispatched urgently to some CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS in Akoko – Edo to attend a tripartite plus meeting Wednesday, September 4 , 2024 in his office in Benin – City @10:00am
15. We wish to commend the frankness , fairness , wisdom and professionalism of the AIG and his men for the intervention so far. The bail bond was free; nobody was harassed or intimidated as the atmosphere was convivial through the interrogation 🤌
16 The solidarity was not only huge and overwhelming but also highly inspiring and momentous.Thank you and God bless 🙏
*_The Platform*_
(The Official Media Outfit of Anti – Open Grazing Movement in Akoko – Edo )
