Enugu — The Enugu State Government has called on Fulani cattle rearers to maintain peace and harmony with their host communities.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Martin Ilo, made the call when he addressed leaders of the Fulani community at the Government House, Enugu, on Friday.Ilo said that the reported recent insecurity and the destruction of farmlands by cattle owned by the herdsmen were not a healthy development.

The SSG, who was represented by Alhaji Ahmed Abubakar, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Community Matters, urged the Fulani to find a lasting solution to the ugly development.

Responding, the Coordinator of the Fulani Community in the South-East, Alhaji Yusuf Sambo, said the leaders of the community had spoken to the cattle rearers.

"The cattle rearers among us have arranged to check the destruction of farmlands by their cattle."They have also agreed to pay compensation to farmers if their farmlands are destroyed," he said.

Sambo said that the Fulani community had formed a neighbourhood watch group as directed by the state government to check lawlessness among its members. "We are calling on the state government and relevant security agencies to support our security group in order to function effectively," he pleaded.