The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ketu North, Reverend Martin Amenaki, has identified the activities of Fulani herdsmen and their cattle as the Municipality’s most pressing challenge.
Speaking during the Member of Parliament’s (MP) Third Quarter Accountability Series held at Penyi, Rev Amenaki said the Assembly is determined to find a lasting solution to the recurring problem, which has led to the destruction of farmlands and tensions between herdsmen and local farmers.
He revealed that his office recently received a petition from the chiefs and people of Dzodze-Togodo calling for a total ban on cattle rearing due to the increasing destruction of crops.
In response, the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) convened an emergency meeting and identified three categories of cattle within the municipality:
Those in transit from Togo, Niger, and Burkina Faso; Those owned by indigenes of Ketu North, and Those belonging to herdsmen from neighbouring districts who stray into Ketu North.
Rev. Amenaki stated that a designated area at Gbornoe in Dzodze has been proposed for transit herds, though certain security issues are yet to be resolved.
Letters have also been sent to neighbouring districts, urging them to restrain their herdsmen from crossing into Ketu North.
According to him, task forces have been formed across all zones to enforce these directives, and local cattle owners will soon receive official reminders to ensure their animals do not destroy farmlands or other properties.
He disclosed that just earlier that day, a farmer was attacked with a cutlass by a herdsman after his cattle destroyed the farmer’s crops.
“I have directed the police not to grant bail until all accomplices are arrested. While we cannot entirely ban cattle rearing, we cannot also allow anyone to use cattle to destroy lives and property,” he stressed.
Torgbui Dadzi V, Paramount Chief of the Penyi Traditional Area, also expressed concern over the long-standing herdsmen menace, describing it as “an albatross on our neck.”
“This issue has come before me countless times since I became Paramount Chief. We have made several efforts to address it, but to no avail. I am happy that this year, the MCE and the Assembly have decided to tackle it seriously. We, the chiefs, are fully in support of the Assembly’s initiative because we have done our best, yet our efforts haven’t yielded results. It is time this matter is addressed once and for all,” Torgbui Dadzi V stated.
GNA
