<<Print>>

AGOGO YOUTH in the Asante Akim North district of the Ashanti region have expressed anger at the Mills-led government�s refusal to drive the Fulani herdsmen out of the area. After several months of heated agitation against the continuous stay of the cattle caretakers on their land, a Kumasi High Court, on January 20, 2012, finally tasked the government to quickly evict the aliens from the area. This was after some elders of the area, led by their lawyer, Kwame Anyimadu, Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, filed a writ praying the court to compel the government to drive the Fulani herdsmen away from the area. Though the court order was made three weeks ago, government is yet to comply with the ruling of the court presided over by Justice Eric Baah. Addressing a press conference at Agogo on Thursday, the Agogo Youth Association, a pressure group in the area leading the crusade, accused the government of dragging its feet. Alfred Gyima, the association�s secretary who addressed the press, stated that it was now clear that government was not interested in driving away the Fulani herdsmen. He contended that if indeed government was committed to driving away the aliens from the area, it would have complied with the court�s directive by now. Mr. Gyima said the paramount chief for the area, Nana Akuoko Sarpong, and the traditional council were now in support of the eviction of the Fulani herdsmen. This, according to him, was because Nana Akuoku Sarpong and the traditional council had withdrawn the writ they had filed against six cattle owners in the area. The secretary noted that the withdrawal of the writ by Nana Akuoko went a long way to give the agitation for the eviction of the Fulani herdsmen a major boost. Mr. Gyima indicated that their battle for the eviction of the Fulani herdsmen had been making little impact due to the writ the paramount chief and the traditional council filed against the six cattle owners. He pointed out that operatives of the National Security had told them that their hands were tied due to the pending court case and that they could move in to drive the Fulani herdsmen away should the case be withdrawn. �You told us that you could not drive away the people because of the court case but now the court case has been withdrawn and a Kumasi High Court has even ordered you to drive them away, so what is keeping you from moving into action,� the secretary quizzed. Mr. Gyima said government�s conduct was making them believe the rumour that they were unwilling to drive the herdsmen away because the area was a stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). �Because we do not vote for them in elections, they want the Fulani herdsmen to continuously stay here so that they could perpetrate violent crimes against our people,� the secretary stated. He warned that the people in the area would take the law into their hands and drive the Fulani herdsmen away from the area should government refuse to comply with the court�s directive in two weeks. Mr. Gyima however announced that the ban on funerals the association declared in protest against the paramount chief and the traditional council�s initial reluctance towards the eviction of the Fulani herdsmen, had been lifted henceforth. He said they had resolved to lift the ban because of the paramount chief and the traditional council�s declaration of support for the eviction of the Fulani herdsmen. Again, Mr Gyima said the slow-down of economic activities in the area as a result of the non-observation of funerals and looming health crisis as a result of congestion in the town�s government hospital had influenced the decision.