Kwahu Afram Plains South DCE in Trouble for Killing 42 Cows

KWAHU AFRAM PLAINS SOUTH DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND CATTLE FARMER IN A BRAWL OVER THE KILLING OF 42 COWS BY “OPERATION COW LEG”

A cattle farmer, Gabriel Kuteh, who is popularly known as G.K Family is seeking compensation from government, following the killing of 42 of his cattle, 24 of which were pregnant, by soldiers from “Operation Cow Leg” at Sakabo in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of the Eastern region.

Mr. G.K Family, in recounting the ordeal, told Torgbui Gadeka in a one- on- one interview on one of the raining socio-political show dubbed” Mpu ne Mpu” on  Afram fm 103.3 mhz that on March 14, 2019, he had a call from his cowboys that his cattle had been gunned down by the soldiers without any provocation.

He said it in an interview to Torgbui Gadeka that his cattle had been en route from being watered when they chanced upon a convoy of soldiers coming from …. Upon seeing the soldiers, Mr. G.K Family said, the cowboys fled. This riled up the soldiers who were under orders to shoot any herds they came upon. Consequently, 27 of the cows died on the spot. The other cows fled from the loud noise of the guns, but 15 of those which had sustained bullet wounds, died a few days later.

Upon hearing this, he told the program Host (Torgbui Gadeka) in the interview that, he moved from Akateng, a market town in the Upper Manya District with its District capital  Asasewa to OSofo-korfe in the Kwahu  Afram Plains District, the place of the encounter.

He claimed to have spoken to one of the soldiers who were involved in the shooting. The nameless soldier told him G.K Family that they had been called upon by the DCE to kill the cows.

The following day, he sought out the District Chief Executive (DCE), George Ofori. The DCE, he claims, confirmed ordering for the soldiers to come and kill the cows because some nomadic Fulani herdsmen had moved into the District and had been causing mayhem. This was what had forced him to call upon “Operation Cow Leg”.

He claims that the DCE admitted that the soldiers had been looking for an itinerant herd of cattle belonging to Fulani herdsmen and if he claims that the ones which had been killed at Sofo-korfe were his, then that was in error and unfortunate.

He told Torgbui Gadeka that Mr. Ofori assured him that the issue would be discussed at the District Security Council (DISEC) meeting and if there is any compensation to be made, that will be decided at the DISEC.

He again said in the interview that after this encounter, he heard nothing from the DCE for a while. He therefore called the DCE, only for the DCE to cast doubts about the ownership of the cattle, claiming they could not belong to one person. This led him Family to tell the DCE to go make enquiries from the people who first reported the incident to him about the ownership of the cattle, which the DCE agreed to do. He however claims that the DCE had since not contacted him about the case.

When Afram fm socio- political show Host and his crew contacted Hon. George Ofori, he denied all culpability. He told the crew that Afram Plains had recently had an influx of ranging cattle from Agogo and Kwahu East, and since Afram Plains is a farming District, they took the decision to appeal to the Minister of State in Charge of National Security to intervene, as the indigenes’ farms were under threat from the over 10,000 cattle which had moved into the District. He recalled how some farmers had been attacked by these herdsmen. He also accused the herdsmen of harassing the women folk of the district whenever they met them on their farms.

The DCE again emphasis that “it was decision of DISEC, not decision of District Chief Executive (sic). So we invited the operation (sic). Through National Security Minister, we had contact with the “Operation Cow Leg” to drive these nomadic herdsmen away from the District so that the farmers will be free to go to farm and do whatever. They should be free to farm without any interference from these herdsmen.”

“So they came, they did an operation, and the operation they did was in accordance with what (sic) the decision of the DISEC.

“Before a soldier will kill any animal, they will call the person who is following the cattle. When they call you and you explain to them maybe we are here, we are local people, maybe we are taking them to drink water, and they don’t touch them. But when they call you and you run away then they will chase you. That is exactly what happened. All the instances they called the Fulani people who are following the cattle then they start running away with the cattle. And a soldier who is doing the operation calls you and you run away, you see what will happen. Even that one, they don’t kill so much as they are saying.” he said.

When queried about the number involved in this particular case, he replied, “Even if they are hundred, they can kill all of them, depending on the area and the way they are destroying the people’s farms.”

When pressed about the owner of this particular herd being a resident of the community, he again replied, “That is where the problem lies. If you identify cattle, once they go and destroy people’s farms, they say it’s for Fulani. You will say whatever it is, you’ll call them to come and maybe pay for the thing that they have destroyed they’ll say it’s not their cattle, they’re Fulani people, but when Operation come and they are affected, they say it’s my cattle.”

He denied assuring Mr. G.K Family that the Council would deliberate about compensating him for his loss. He said, “What I told them is, when National Security does an operation, it’s on operation. But the way he was begging that at least we give him something small, I said I cannot stand here and promise you, but I’ll meet with the management of the Assemble (sic) and whatever comes out of it, I’ll inform him. So it’s not like I have promised him that we’re going to compensate him. No.”

“I told him that this is an exercise, and the exercise is a decision of DISEC. That’s all.”

The District Chief Executive has again emphasized that the DISEC had decided not to compensate Mr. G.K Family as the operation was backed by the voice of the people.

He concluded by accusing Mr. G.K Family of engaging in child labour by hiring the services of children to herd his cattle.

For More information:

G.K. Family: 0245-456578

DCE Hon. George Ofori: 0544001766/0208600597

Source:

Torgbui Gadeka

Broadcast Journalist

Afram fm 103.3 MHz

Tel: 0249-490770