Agogo District Security Council (DISEC) is worried a March deadline given by the district’s Traditional Council directing all cattle owners to vacate the locality could lead to clashes.

Chairman of DISEC and District Chief Executive for Asante Akyem North, Paul Kingsley Averu,told Nhyira FM's Ohemeng Tawiah there is no guarantee of peace in the area if the Traditional Council sticks to its ultimatum to the cattle owners.

The directive to cattle owners contradicts a court order to nomadic herdsmen by the Kumasi High Court.

The court’s March deadline applies to only the nomadic cattle herders who have clashed with farmers in three regions over grazing patches.

Mr Averu says DISEC recognizes the court’s directive because settled cattle owners -- many of whom are not part of the nomadic herdsmen -- have clashed with local farmers.

A joint police-military team in the Operation Cowleg exercise has been working tirelessly to flush out only nomadic   herdsmen accused of killing four indigenes in recent times from Agogo.

All cattle owner, including locals have up to end of March to evacuate their animals from Agogo in the ultimatum issued by the Agogo Traditional Council contrary to what is prescribed by a Kumasi High Court currently being implemented by the Regional Security Council.

But speaking to Nhyira Fm at the sidelines of a joint-DISEC meeting with Sekyere Afram Plains at Drobonso, Mr. Averu appeared uncertain about what could be the effects the enforcement of the March-end deadline by nananom.

“I can talk of peace in Drobonso and Drobonso sharing border with Agogo the problem area there. I am convinced there would be peace there but the Agogo citizens who sit in Agogo and have declared fiat that no cattle in Agogo area, I cannot say there would be peace or there would not be peace. It’s nananom who gave them 31^st deadline”. He said.

The joint meeting, at the instances of the Ashanti Regional Minister on Thursday at Drobonso was to address the Fulani menace in the area.It was attended by representatives of traditional authorities, normadic and resident herdsmen and  farmers. 

Mr Averu could not tell what role DISEC will play in the enforcement of the March 31, 2016 deadline, contrary to the plans of the Ashanti Regional Security Council. “We [DISEC] have our mandate. We have to go by the court ruling and get the cattle out. The mandate we have or those we have or those we have to  get out does not include what nananoms  are now  adding into the list so I don’t know how we will go about it. We have our agenda. Those who have also set their agenda let them prosecute it”. Mr. Averu said

But cetainly, this development comes with a cost as the development slows down operations of the joint police-military team.

“It is their pronouncement which has may be let us slow down alittle”

Meanwhile, the joint-DISEC meeting, the first of its kind in Ashanti region has adopted some resolutions to prevent a spill-over of nomadic herdsmen into neighboring Drobonso.

These include a ban on movement of cattle in the night, registration and marking of all cattle of resident Fulani herdsmen and extension of the Operation Cowleg activities in the Drobonso area.

District Chief Executive for Sekyere Afram Plains, Fuseini Donkor who commended the Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon for the initiative is hopeful the decisions will help prevent spill-over of nomadic herdsmen into the district.