There is renewed anger among some local communities in the Northern Region against the Fulani herdsmen operating in parts of the region. This follows an incident at Libi in the East Gonja District on Wednesday night in which a tractor owned by a commercial farmer, Alhaji Yakubu Botingnaa, was set ablaze. Two Fulani herdsmen have been accused of the act. Already, there is a tense relationship between the local communities and the Fulani herdsmen, who are accused of various crimes, ranging from rape to the destruction of farm lands. It is feared that the Fulanis could suffer some reprisal attacks from the local population at some point if the relationship continues to deteriorate. Alhaji Botingnaa told newsmen in Tamale that his farm workers returned from the farm on Thursday morning only to show him pictures of the remnants of his burnt tractor. "They had gone to the farm in the morning to continue ploughing, but returned that same morning to give me this bad news," he said, adding, "I am very shocked at this and I do not know which move to make next." The farm, located on a 50-acre field at Libi, was undergoing preparation for the cultivation of rice and maize. The tractor in question was acquired in 2009 through hire purchase from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) at a cost of GH¢24,000. As per the agreement, Alhaji Botingnaa made an initial payment of GH¢ 12,000 and was paying the remaining balance in installments over a three-year period. Following the incident, Alhaji Botingnaa expressed fear over his ability to settle the balance, since the absence of the tractor would greatly affect his farming business. "I am also thinking about how I can raise resources to rent the services of a tractor to complete the rest of the ploughing," he said, adding that so far, only 20 acres of the 50 acres had been ploughed. Alhaji Botingnaa said he was going to make a report to the police and also formally notify MoFA about the incident. Two of Alhaji's farm workers told the Daily Graphic that the tractor was parked on the farm on Wednesday evening. "When we went back the next morning, we found a burnt tractor and the community people pointed accusing fingers at two Fulanis. They said they saw the Fulanis moving towards the farm and were later spotted again moving away," one of the farm workers said. They said the community folk later heard noise akin to a tyre blast from the direction of the farm and when they checked, it was the tractor that had been set ablaze. "So they mobilised and stopped the fire, but it was too late, as the fire had already caused so much damage to the tractor," the farm workers said. Source: Daily Graphic