Residents of Elelu village in Erah community in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State have banned the sale and consumption of beef following the alleged incessant kidnapping and killings of their kinsmen by suspected herdsmen.
The residents disclosed this during a protest at the community on Saturday.
The protesters made up of both young and old, also threatened to relocate to Edo State Government House for alternative shelter if the state government does not urgently come to their aid as the community is no longer inhabitable.
The residents in their large numbers with belongings on their heads, however, called on the state government to come to their rescue from the hands of suspected herdsmen who have continuously invaded their farmlands and kidnapped their fathers, husbands and children.
They alleged that in the last two weeks, about seven persons in the community have been kidnapped and killed.
Speaking, the Concerned Community Leaders, Youth Representatives and Vigilante Leaders said the protest was also to mourn and honour the lives of their fallen heroes killed by suspected kidnappers
The spokesperson of the group, Fred Enaikhe Aleburu gave the names of the fallen heroes such as Edekin Ighalo, Abdullahi and Victor Ogedengbe, a Vigilante commander.
Aleburu said the deceased lost their lives defending the community.
According to him, these courageous men stood against armed herdsmen who had brought terror to the peaceful land. ”They
shielded our mothers, our children, and our farmlands and for their sacrifice, they were murdered in cold blood.
“As we speak, the body of Victor Ogedengbe still lies in the mortuary. Yet the violence continues.
“In just the past two weeks, seven of our children have been kidnapped, with one still in captivity as we speak.
“Our forests have been turned into dens of terror, criminal strongholds where ransom is demanded and innocent victims are kept under inhumane conditions.
“Our mothers can no longer go to the farm. Our youth are hunted. Our elderly live in fear. The lands that once sustained us now lie in waste and silence.
“This is not just insecurity, this is a deliberate war on our survival. This is a slow genocide.
“We are also here to protest hunger. Our people now suffer because they cannot farm. Our markets are empty. Our homes are filled with helplessness.
“What was once a self-sufficient and productive community is now battling starvation and fear.
“And so, today, we rise to say with one voice that “Enough Is Enough”, he lamented.
He, however, called on the government to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect its citizens.
Aleburu said the community demanded immediate establishment of permanent security checkpoints on all roads and entry points leading into and out of Erah.
They also demanded a full-scale investigation and comprehensive flushing of forests to root out and eliminate all alleged terrorist elements hiding within the community.
“A sustained and visible security presence across our villages, to ensure long-term peace and protection.
“Emergency intervention to address food insecurity, including support for displaced farmers and restoration of safe farming activities.
“If our villages are no longer safe, we will sleep at the doorstep of leadership until we are heard and protected. Our lives are not negotiable.
“Furthermore, as a solemn response to our collective suffering and to honor our fallen defenders, the people of Erah hereby declare a permanent ban on the consumption and the sale of beef in our community.
“The killer herdsmen who hide behind cattle have taken too much from us. Our lives, our food, our peace. We will not continue to support a system built on our blood and tears”, he stated.
