The Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) in the Keta Municipality of the Volta region has intervened to restore Peace between farmers and herders at Tsiame following months of conflicts.
Speaking at a meeting with the disputants at Abor, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Keta and Chairman of MUSEC, Mr Emmanuel Gemega, emphasized the need to resolve the dispute and misunderstanding between the two parties for peace to prevail.
Mr Gemega urged the farmers, who were agitated over the destruction caused by the herders, to lodge a formal complaint at the police station instead of taking the laws into their own hands.
He warned that any further report that showed that the herders were grazing their animals on farmlands would call for immediate arrest after this peaceful resolution.
The MCE also cautioned landowners who allowed the herdsmen to settle in the area that they were flouting the laws of the country concerning the activities of itinerant herdsmen.
During the engagement, Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI), Justice Kudzo Normeshie, a Ghana Immigration Service Officer at Aflao, warned the herdsmen to enter the country legally to avoid being arrested and deported for illegal entry.
Keta Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jordan Quaye, advised the Chiefs, Assembly members, and elders of the various communities to avoid handling criminal cases at home.
Mr Quaye warned that any herdsman who grazed their cattle on people’s farms would be arrested together with their landowners to serve as a deterrent. He also charged parents to take full responsibility for their wards who engage in sexual relationships with the immigrants.
At the meeting, Torgbi Shikabli IV, a regent of Tsiame, expressed gratitude to the MUSEC team for their efforts to restore peace in the area.
The Assembly member of the area, Mr Bernard Suka, also appreciated the meeting. A resolution was made between the two parties, with pledges from the herders to abide by the rules of the community for peace to prevail in the area.
