Anambra Govt Resolves Crisis Between Farmers And Herdsmen

The Anambra State Government says the crisis between herdsmen and crop farmers in the Anam community in Anambra West Local Government Area, last week has been resolved.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C.Don Adinuba, says the swift resolution followed the directive by Governor Willie Obiano to the Anambra State Security Council to bring the crisis to an end immediately and find out both the immediate and remote causes of the crisis and proffer suggestions on how to address them, so that a similar crisis will not erupt in the state in the future.

It said that following the Governor’s directive, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, the State Director of the Department of State Security, the Commanders of the Army and Naval formations in the state, the state Commandant of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security as well as the Special Assistant to the Governor on Security led other State Security Council members to end the dispute quickly.

According to the statement, meaningful discussions were held with leaders of Anam Town and those of the herdsmen and  discoveries show that the crisis was precipitated by the entry of some herdsmen from a neighbouring state into Anambra State without following the protocol guiding the conduct of herdsmen in the state.

It noted that for instance, they entered Anam without informing the local leaders of the herdsmen association who would have registered them as members and inform them of the rules of doing cattle business in Anambra State, consequently the new entrants violated the rules in a repugnant manner and caused a breach of the peace.

The statement recalled that Anambra State has for years adopted a Code of Conduct for herdsmen and crop farmers in the state which has proved exceedingly effective in determining the excellent relations between these groups of people because both the spirit and letter of the Code are widely acknowledged to be just and fair and the implementation done evenhandedly and transparently which is the reasons the state has over the years been free of the clashes between herdsmen and crop farmers experienced in different parts of the country.