Ibas Vows To Tackle Land-grabbing, Herdsmen Attacks In Rivers

The Sole administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) has assured the people of the state, that his administration will tackle land-grabbing, herdsmen attack and general insecurity in communities across the state.

Ibas gave the assurance on Wednesday at Okehi, the headquarters of Etche local government area of the state, during a stakeholders’ engagement with the people of the area.

Ibas who was represented by the State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, said the visit was part of an ongoing tour of LGAs for feedback and charting practical responses to pressing community concerns.

“We are not just here to listen, we are here to act. Security is a shared responsibility, and the government will not rest until peace is restored in every part of Rivers State,” he said.

In his welcome remarks, the administrator of Etche LGA, Onyenachi Nwankwor, decried how farmlands were being overrun, with armed herders allegedly extorting locals and endangering lives.

Nwankwor said, “We know the criminals, they are our children. But without jobs, healthcare, and education, we are pushing them into crime. Help us give them a better path.”

On his part, President-General of Ogbakor Etche Worldwide, Dr. Silas Anyanwu, recounted a recent attack on a farmer at Afara community in the LGA.

Anyanwu said, “An Afara farmer was assaulted simply for refusing to pay N6,000 demanded by herders to access his own farmland. People now sleep with one eye open.”