Members of the Bongo Soe Development Association in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region have given a one month eviction notice to the Bongo District Assembly to evict all Fulani herdsmen in the Bongo Soe Community as they can no longer accommodate them.
The demand of the community is in reaction to the alleged attack of a community member on Tuesday, the 28th of March 2023 by three Fulani herdsmen who threatened the Soe Community Members not to farm in their farm lands located at Dapoore near where the Fulanis reside when the farming season set in to allow their animals enough land to graze .They are alleged to have attempted killing and castrating the community member but for the intervention of one of them.
“On Tuesday, the 28th of March 2023, three Fulani herdsmen attacked a young man who was going to fish at the riverside. Without any provocation, they beat up the young man mercilessly, broke his leg and made away with his motorcycle, a phone and unspecified amount of money. They initially wanted to slaughter him but a more reasonable member of the trio objected to that. They then wanted to castrate him but he resisted. This was where they then started beating him. The Fulani herdsmen who brutalized the young man told him that the Village people will not be allowed to farm in the area this year, a usurpation of the community’s right to their own land. The reason was simple: they wanted grazing space for their cattle.”
The youth didn’t take kindly to the development and are alleged to have attacked the herdsmen in their residence which resulted in the arrest of eleven youth of the area on Saturday 31st March,2023. The Association explained that the attack provoked the youth to attack the Fulanis.
“This recent attack was, therefore, the last straw that provoked the youth in the community and they rounded up the Fulanis who were enjoying the Village market freely and wanted to molest them. However, the Assembly men in Bongo Soe came to their rescue and called for Police protection while physically restraining the youth from harming them.”
“The Police came and took them and their motor cycles to Bongo, the district capital, ostensibly for their own safety. However, upon follow-up to make a formal complaint to the Police, the Assembly men were informed that the Paramount Chief had directed them, the Police, to bring the Fulanis to his Palace for treatment and protection. Many wondered whether the Chief’s Palace was a hospital or was safer than the Police station but that is a question for another day.”
“Dissatisfied with the action of the Police and the Paramount Chief, some youth allegedly went to the Fulani settlement to attack them. However, they had wind of the impending attack and run away. Shortly after that, three trucks of Police arrived and arrested anybody they saw on their way to the site. The information is that the Police were led by a representative of the Paramount Chief and an Assembly pick up.”
The association say there have been several crimes committed by the nomadic Fulanis against the community members including armed robbery and rape on several occasions but the Assembly has failed to respond or act on petitions that have been sent to them by the community on the matter.
“This recent attack was, therefore, the last straw that provoked the youth in the community and they rounded up the Fulanis who were enjoying the Village market freely and wanted to molest them. However, the Assembly men in Bongo Soe came to their rescue and called for Police protection while physically restraining the youth from harming them.”
“The Police came and took them and their motor cycles to Bongo, the district capital, ostensibly for their own safety. However, upon follow-up to make a formal complaint to the Police, the Assembly men were informed that the Paramount Chief had directed them, the Police, to bring the Fulanis to his Palace for treatment and protection. Many wondered whether the Chief’s Palace was a hospital or was safer than the Police station but that is a question for another day.”
“Dissatisfied with the action of the Police and the Paramount Chief, some youth allegedly went to the Fulani settlement to attack them. However, they had wind of the impending attack and run away. Shortly after that, three trucks of Police arrived and arrested anybody they saw on their way to the site. The information is that the Police were led by a representative of the Paramount Chief and an Assembly pick up.”
At a press conference on Thursday 6th March, 2023 at the Bongo Soe Community Catholic Social Centre, the members of the community led by their chiefs and some prominent members demanded the eviction of the Fulani herdsmen from the community and their lands returned to them within a month.
“That the Fulani herdsmen pack away from Bongo Soe in the next one month. They are roaming herdsmen that should not try to make Bongo Soe their permanent home, especially as they are clearly making an attempt to seize our land.”
Mr. Vitus Adaboo Azim, who read the press statement said the paramount Chief has enskinned a Fulani chief and given concurrent powers to that of the divisional chiefs which is making them to disrespect the divisional chiefs of the area.
“It is instructive to state that the Paramount Chief has enskinned a Fulani Chief in the Village. This chief has boasted that he and the chiefs in the village were all enskinned by the Paramount Chief and so they were not superior to him and can not control him. In addition, the same Paramount Chief has enskinned a Farmers’ Chief and a Settlers’ chief in the area over and above the chiefs in the Village. These two chiefs are also settlers. This action undermines the authority of the Village chiefs which many people are unhappy about.”
Mr. Azim said the community and the youth cannot guarantee their safety if they are still found in the community after the one month ultimatum elapses.
“ We wish to make it clear that the Chiefs, Assembly members and elders of Bongo Soe can no longer assure the Fulani herdsmen of their safety if they do not vacate the community.”
The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu has been accused for allegedly sending the police to arrest the eleven youth of the area. The Paramount Chief however refused to comment on the issue when the media called on him at his palace.
The association also demanded that all the arrested youth be released and the case discontinued at the court. They also demanded that the assembly retrieve the motorcycle and other items that were taken from the victim, Mr. Atiah Nsoh and all his medical bills paid.
“That all the young men that were arrested should be released unconditionally and immediately and the prosecution discontinued;
That the Police investigates and brings the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book;
That the Assembly foots the medical bills of the injured young man and retrieve his motorcycle and mobile phone for him”
When the media called on the DCE, Madam Rita Atanga at her office for her reaction to the demands of the community, she assured them that her office together with key stakeholders are deliberating on the issue and assured them that the Assembly will find a lasting solution to the disagreements between them and the Fulanis. She also appealed to the members of Bongo Soe to exercise restrain while they look into the issue for amicable resolution.
The victim who is alleged to have been attacked confirmed the narration of the association on circumstances that led to the attack on him when the media visited him at his residence at Sinabisi in the Bongo Soe Community.
Below is the press statement
PRESS STATEMENT
WE DEMAND OUR LAND BACK FROM FULANI HERDSMEN AND PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITY
Issued by the Chiefs and People of Bongo Soe in the Bongo District of the Upper East region
Thursday, 6th April, 2023
Friends of the Media, we have invited you here this morning to share with you our concerns about our continued harassment by Fulani herdsmen and to appeal to you to send a message to the Fulani community and the appropriate authorities that the Fulanis have illegally occupied parts of Bongo Soe and that we want them relocated out of our land.
On Tuesday, the 28th of March 2023, three Fulani herdsmen attacked a young man who was going to fish at the riverside. Without any provocation, they beat up the young man mercilessly, broke his leg and made away with his motorcycle, a phone and unspecified amount of money. They initially wanted to slaughter him but a more reasonable member of the trio objected to that. They then wanted to castrate him but he resisted. This was where they then started beating him. The Fulani herdsmen who brutalized the young man told him that the Village people will not be allowed to farm in the area this year, a usurpation of the community’s right to their own land. The reason was simple: they wanted grazing space for their cattle.
We wish to state that this is not the first time that some Fulani herdsmen have attacked a member of the community. There were instances where some women were raped and some cattle stolen from the community. In addition, an Agency of the Bongo Rural Bank and some Mobile Money vendors in the Village were robbed by persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen. In June 2021, the Community sent a petition to the District Security Committee (DISEC) on the behaviour of the Fulani herdsmen but never received any response or seen any action taken by the authorities. The petition was copied to the Paramount Chief and the District Police Command. In January 2022, a reminder was sent to them again but not even an acknowledgement of receipt of the petition was received by the Community.
This recent attack was, therefore, the last straw that provoked the youth in the community and they rounded up the Fulanis who were enjoying the Village market freely and wanted to molest them. However, the Assembly men in Bongo Soe came to their rescue and called for Police protection while physically restraining the youth from harming them.
The Police came and took them and their motor cycles to Bongo, the district capital, ostensibly for their own safety. However, upon follow-up to make a formal complaint to the Police, the Assembly men were informed that the Paramount Chief had directed them, the Police, to bring the Fulanis to his Palace for treatment and protection. Many wondered whether the Chief’s Palace was a hospital or was safer than the Police station but that is a question for another day.
Dissatisfied with the action of the Police and the Paramount Chief, some youth allegedly went to the Fulani settlement to attack them. However, they had wind of the impending attack and run away. Shortly after that, three trucks of Police arrived and arrested anybody they saw on their way to the site. The information is that the Police were led by a representative of the Paramount Chief and an Assembly pick up.
It is instructive to state that the Paramount Chief has enskinned a Fulani Chief in the Village. This chief has boasted that he and the chiefs in the village were all enskinned by the Paramount Chief and so they were not superior to him and can not control him. In addition, the same Paramount Chief has enskinned a Farmers’ Chief and a Settlers’ chief in the area over and above the chiefs in the Village. These two chiefs are also settlers. This action undermines the authority of the Village chiefs which many people are unhappy about.
Meanwhile, all attempts to get the Police to take action on the attack on the young man from the Village have yielded no results. However, the District Chief Executive is running around trying to mobilise support for the Fulanis and to rehabilitate their huts on a land that is not theirs.
Moreover, there are a lot of falsehoods flying around about what happened or may happen, including the following, among others:
- That the young man was drunk and fell from his motorcycle and got injured. This is not true. Those spreading this falsehood should have seen him and should have taken him to hospital but they didn’t. Clearly, it is a falsehood emanating from high cycles;
- That the young man stole the fish of the Fulanis who were also fishing at the time and that is why he was attacked. No Fulani man fishes in the area;
- That 800 people were displaced. This number is grossly inflated because the entire Fulani population in the Bongo District is not up to 800. We don’t know what the Assembly seeks to gain by inflating the numbers;
- That the Bongo Soe people plan to attack the Palace of the Paramount Chief. The people of Bongo Soe are a peace loving people and respect the paramouncy. There has never been talk of any attack on the Palace.
The educated Fulanis in other parts of the country are living peacefully with Ghanaians and nobody is attacking them. These enlightened Fulanis should not make any derogatory remarks about what happened in Bongo Soe without knowing all the facts.
What took place on Friday was a spontaneous reaction of the youth in the face of the continued inaction by the authorities and apparent support of the herdsman. The Chiefs and People of Bongo Soe wish to make the following demands very clear:
- That all the young men that were arrested should be released unconditionally and immediately and the prosecution discontinued;
- That the Police investigates and brings the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book;
- That the Assembly foots the medical bills of the injured young man and retrieve his motorcycle and mobile phone for him;
- That the Fulani herdsmen pack away from Bongo Soe in the next one month. They are roaming herdsmen that should not try to make Bongo Soe their permanent home, especially as they are clearly making an attempt to seize our land.
We wish to make it clear that the Chiefs, Assembly members and elders of Bongo Soe can no longer assure the Fulani herdsmen of their safety if they do not vacate the community.
In conclusion, we wish to thank the Media and other visitors for their presence and we urge them to give a fair and balanced reportage of the situation.
Thank you,
For further information, please, contact the following persons:
- Mr. Donatus Asosega: 0240120383
- Mr. Daniel Awure: 0241770754
- Mr. Anthony Awuka: 0249463840
Released on behalf of the Chiefs and People of Bongo Soe.
By: Simon Agana Blessing/mywordfmonline.com