Dozens of women from Obinolu Ngodo community in Umunneochi Local Government Area, Abia State, marched on the council secretariat this week to protest alleged destruction of their cassava and other crops by herdsmen. The women carried placards and clumps of uprooted cassava stems as evidence, telling officials at the Nkwoagu headquarters that herders had been deliberately pulling up their cassava to feed cattle, while grazing herds trampled through other crops still germinating, including beans, maize and melon.
Protest Over Crop Destruction
The women said cattle had also damaged beans, maize and melon crops in the area. Several of them said they no longer feel safe walking onto their own farmland, and warned that if the pattern continues, the community could face a genuine hunger crisis, since farming is essentially the only livelihood most households there have.
Their placards captured the anxiety driving the protest: "Our people may die of hunger," one read. Others said, "We are now afraid to enter our farms," "We don't want Fulani herdsmen in our farms," and "Government, save us now."
Council Chairman Responds
Council Chairman Sunny Afurobi met the protesters directly and said their account was not isolated, as he had already received similar complaints from another community nearby. He pledged to investigate the matter.
"Governor Alex Otti is serious about the security of our people. He tackled the incessant kidnapping of our people, and the government is not sleeping when it comes to security matters. We will investigate the problem because we cannot abandon our farms," he said.
Security Meeting Convened
In the days after the protest, Afurobi called an emergency security meeting bringing together security chiefs, leaders of the area's Hausa community, and representatives of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), alongside community leaders from both Obinolu and Ngodo, in an effort to defuse the tension.
The meeting surfaced allegations beyond crop damage, as some residents claimed farmers had faced harassment and, in a few cases, abduction, and accused certain herders of ignoring existing local restrictions on open grazing. Community leaders reiterated that open grazing is banned in Umunneochi altogether and pushed the state government to step in with firmer enforcement.
No arrests or formal action had been announced as of the time of this report.
