Operation Cow Leg’ reactivated at Agogo
The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has reactivated ‘Operation Cow Leg’ at Agogo and its environs to check the activities of nomadic Fulani herdsmen whose cattle have been destroying farms.
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It is also to ensure that cattle from other regions, particularly the Eastern Region, do not stray into the area for grazing.
The Chairman of REGSEC, Mr Samuel Sarpong, said the operation had become necessary due to the havoc the activities of the herdsmen and their cattle were causing in the area.
At separate meetings with the chiefs and people of the area and the leaders of the Fulani at Agogo last Wednesday, the minister said the REGSEC had decided to reactivate the operation in order to bring calm to the area and stem any confrontation between the residents and Fulani herdsmen.
Decision welcomed
The chiefs and people of the area welcomed REGSEC’s decision to reactivate the Operational Cow Leg which was launched in early 2000 by the New Patriotic Party administration to deal with the menace of the Fulani herdsmen.
According to the people, due to the nefarious activities of the herdsmen, they were unable to go to their farms for fear of encountering the Fulani, who, they claimed, were always armed with sophisticated guns.
The Krontihene of Agogo, Nana Kwame Nti, who stood in for the Omanhene of the Agogo, Nana Akuako Sarpong, appealed to the regional minister not to make the operation a nine-day wonder but to ensure that the Fulani herdsmen were completely driven away from the area.
The people accused the Fulani herdsmen of raping their women and killing their men who tried to stop their animals from grazing in the farms, and committing other atrocities in the area.
The herdsmen were also accused of allowing their cattle to wander beyond the demarcated areas for grazing.
Herdsmen ready to co-operate
The leader of the cattle rearers, Alhaji Mirago Mohammed, admitted that their cattle had been destroying farmlands in the area but was quick to add that whenever that happened, they readily paid compensations to the affected farmers.
He assured the REGSEC of their readiness to continue to co-operate with the chiefs and security services.