Udora Orizu in Abuja
The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to mobilise security personnel to dislodge the alleged invasion of Obiaruku communities in Delta State by suspected herdsmen, and also intensify efforts to ensure that peace is restored to the communities in the area.
The House also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the victims of the killer herders.
The resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai at the plenary yesterday.
Moving the motion, Ossai alleged that since the first week of July 2021, suspected herdsmen have been invading, attacking and taking over communities’ farmlands and other landed property in Obiaruku, Umuebu, Eziopkor, Obinomba, Owah-Abbi, Ebedei and Umutu communities in Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency of Delta State.
According to him, the herdsmen barricaded the major entrance leading to communities’ farmlands, thereby depriving members of the communities from accessing their farms which is their main source of livelihood.
He lamented that women who venture to enter their farms are being raped on a daily basis by the herdsmen, who continue to destroy economic trees, farm produce and other staple crops such as yams, cassava, maize and vegetables.
He further lamented that the indiscriminate and sporadic shootings in the communities by the suspected criminal herdsmen have resulted in the death of hundreds of people and some of the corpses are presently in the mortuary while others have been buried.
The lawmaker expressed concerns that the people of the affected communities can no longer go to farm as usual and have to pay vigilance groups to escort them to their farm on specific announced days.
Ossai added that as a result of the attacks, there have been a rise in prices of foodstuff which is causing untold hardships on the people.Adopting the motion, the House, therefore, mandated its Committee on National Security and Intelligence to visit the communities with a view to investigating and ascertaining the security situation and the extent of damage.
In a similar vein, the lawmakers at the plenary, while adopting a motion sponsored by Hon. Dennis Idahosa, urged the Nigeria Police Force to provide security on the Lagos-Ore-Benin expressway to ensure safety of road users.
The lawmakers also urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to commence rehabilitation of the caved-in section of the Ugbogui Bridge on the expressway to ease the hardship and danger being faced by commuters plying the road.
