By Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia
A non-governmental organisation of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in Benue State, Foundation for Justice, Development and Peace (FJDP) yesterday began the enumeration of victims of the herders/farmers clashes in Nasarawa State to enable it support the them.
The Programme Manager of the FJDP, Valentine Kwaghchimin, led a team from the NGO to Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State for the exercise, where he said the exercise would also cover two other local government areas of Awe and Doma in the state.
Addressing stakeholders of Obi LGA during the Foundation stakeholders’ forum and community engagement towards peaceful coexistence among Nigerians, preparatory to the enumeration exercise, the programme manager said the exercise would enable FJDP to support survival of the herders/farmers clashes.
According to him, “The Foundation will support the victims with psychomotor strength to rebuild their battered relationship, as well as incentives to help them rebuild some of their destroyed communities.”
He, however, maintained that the FJDP’s session with stakeholders in the Obi community would offer residents the platform for learning and discussing security issues affecting them, and also identifying potential conflicts and early warning signs, and proffer solutions to foster peace and harmony in their community.
Kwaghchimin added: “Synergy between herders, farmers and other stakeholders will help to stem the tide of farmers/herders conflict at the community levels.
“The forum is targeting six local government areas that suffered setbacks in the Benue valley as a result of the herders/farmers conflicts. Three each of the local government areas are from Nasarawa and Benue States, which are Awe, Obi, Doma Guma, Agatu and Gwer West respectively.”
He, therefore, urged the parties caught in the herders/farmers conflicts from the local councils of the two states to work closely with traditional rulers and security agencies for the interest of peace and national development.
