The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has raised alarm over alleged invasion by suspected herders.
President General, Olorogun Moses Oghenerume Taiga in a statement issued in Lagos said the people of Urhobo in Delta are currently living in fear.
Taiga called on the federal government and the Ifeanyi Okowa-led government to find lasting solution to the problems.
He said, “The Urhobos in Delta State face a clear and present danger. You would have been reading about the incessant attacks of Urhobo people in their own towns and villages for some time now.
“Our men are being killed and our wives and daughters are being raped. The attacks are going on in Abraka Kingdom, Uwheru Kingdom, Ovwor town in Olomu, Ughelli South Local Government Area and many other towns and villages in Urhoboland.”
The President General alleged that about 300 herdsmen are illegally occupying shops in an ultra-modern market not in use between Otovwodo and Ogor in Ughelli North Local Government Area.
“I call on President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the military authorities to dislodge these illegal occupants and hoodlums immediately before they wreck havoc. The Urhobos are peace-loving people. What happened in Benue, where 73 people were killed, must not happen in Urhobo land or any other place, for that matter, again in Nigeria,” he added.
The President however opposed the proposed cattle colony, saying the Urhobos will not cede an inch of their land for the purpose of establishing a cattle colony.
“Cattle rearing is a private matter and individuals should make their private arrangement, just as crop farmers do, in that regard. Has government established cassava, yam, cocoa or plantain “colonies?”, he added.
