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Roaming cattle herdsmen at Drobonso, the capital of the Sekyere Afram Plains District in the Ashanti Region want the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate its officers for allegedly targeting their cattle and killing them in some cases.
The herders claim police officers, particularly from Agogo in the Asante Akyem North District had launched deadly raids against them shooting and killing more than fifty of their animals.
A Fulani Welfare Group, Tabital Pulaaku International Ghana (TPI-G) is leading this campaign and has since petitioned the IGP and the Ashanti Regional Security Council over the matter.
The police at Sekyere Kumawu which takes charge of the area say their attention had been drawn to such complaints but were investigating the cases, according to a report by citinewsroom.com.
But General Secretary of TPI-G, Yakubu Musah Barry warns such attacks could escalate if authorities do not step in.
“We feel the Police is unconcerned about issues related to our people. As a I speak, over 30 animals belonging to our people have been killed within a year. Each animal is valued around GHS 5000 to GHS 6000, we are losing our source of livelihood.”
“We have petitioned the IGP, and the Ashanti Regional Minister.”
Meanwhile. a District Security Council meeting had been summoned by the Chief Executive of the Asante Akyem North, Francis Oti Boateng. He adds that the council will make its position known to the public after the meeting.
The pastoral Fulani people – also called Peul, Fulbe, Fula and believed to be the world’s largest semi-nomadic ethnic group – follow their cows today as they have done for centuries across the West African Sahel, from Senegal to central Africa.
In the past, farmers welcomed the seasonal migration of the Fulani and their cattle. The cows fertilised the farmers’ fields with dung and the farmers reserved land for the cows to graze. It was somewhat of a mutual relationship, dented every now and then by conflicts, particularly when the cattle would trample the farmers’ crops.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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