Kwaku-Dade — TENSION IS gradually mounting at Kwaku-Dade in the Adzade Electoral Area in the Afram Plains between Fulani herdsmen and the residents of the area.

The tension was as a result of the destruction of food crops of the people by the animals of the Fulani herdsmen who normally carry guns and other dangerous weapons like knives and cutlass whenever the people complained.

Speaking to The Chronicle at Kwaku-Dade, the residents said the Fulani herdsmen did not only destroy their crops but also rape their women and used gun and knife to fight each other upon a little provocation, which to the residents was strange, and therefore a threat to security in the area.

They said the escalating tension in recent times started when two-hundred cattle started destroying farms in the area and when the members of the community informed the Fulani men, they all denied ownership of the animals.

The residents explained that since the Fulani people did not owned up for the animals, a decision was taken to shoot and kill two of the animals in order to provoke the owner to own up and be responsible for cost involved in the destruction of the farms, which yielded a positive result.

According to them, the strategy was successful as one of the Fulani men failed to inform the residents but rather went to Kwamekrom in the Jasikan District in the Volta Region to report the shooting and killing of the two animals to another Fulani man who owns the cattle.

The owner of the animals, according to the people upon hearing what happened, went to report the incident to the Police at Donkorkrom, who subsequently arrested the Headman of Kwaku-Dade and two others and allegedly detained them in Police cells for one week.

They therefore appealed to the government to intervene to help protect the people from what they called foreign suppression and intimidation, which was making them feel like strangers in their own country.

A farmer and a victim of Fulani herdsman, Mr. Stephen Abotsi said he was surprised about the conduct of the Police at Donkorkrom, who new about the presence of the Fulani herdsmen and their negative activities but turned round to arrest the suffering farmers and fishermen whose properties were being destroyed.

He expressed concern about the situation where the Fulani herdsmen were gradually taking over their communities with the various kinds of atrocities being meted out to them without the Police taking the necessary steps to halt them and tend attention to the poor people.

"The big men are in Accra and they do not know what is happening here. I am a victim of the Dudzome evacuation exercise and somebody has given me land to farm and this people are destroying it".

When contacted, the Assembly Member for the Area, Mr. Moses Toklo confirmed the story and said the issue of Fulani herdsmen in the area has been a major concern over the years.

He also called on the government to come to the aid of the people because the presence of the Fulanis in the area was deepening the already existing poverty among the people.

Contributing, the MP for the area, Hon. Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu said he was aware of the problem and the presence of the Fulani herdsmen posed a problem to the people as economic activities in the area were being affected.

He said several attempts by the government to flush out these aliens such as operation cow-leg among other similar operations, proved futile.