Farmers, mainly cultivating cassava and yam at the Idege farmstead in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have decried the destruction of several hectares of farmlands by suspected herders.
According to the farmers, the herders’ cattle, allowed to roam freely by Fulani nomads, rampaged across multiple hectares of land, wreaking havoc on their farms.
Ibrahim, one of the affected farmers, speaking to reporters in Ado Ekiti, said that more than 30 farmers in the area were impacted by this destruction. He added that the herders had been a constant menace for two years, instigating attacks on people working on their farmlands and causing significant damage to their crops.
Ibrahim recounted a harrowing incident from a few months ago when he, his two brothers, and his son narrowly escaped severe harm when confronted and brutally assaulted by some herders. He stressed the herders’ routine of beating farmers and destroying their farms, often over allegations of cows being killed in the vicinity.
He said, “They had been coming to beat us and cause destruction to our farms, which we reported to the security agencies, but without serious action (from the security agencies). We have been enduring this for a long time.
“But the current destruction was massive. They destroyed over 4,000 heaps of cassava on my farm alone apart from the havoc they wreaked on my brother-in-law’s farm. Over 30 of us were affected.
“In some instances, they went to the new yam farms we just cultivated, brought out the yam seeds and cut for their cattle. Some of us are currently removing the seeds for safekeeping until the situation abates so that we can replant.
“They were not just destroying the cassava by eating up the leaves and stems, but they also uprooted the tubers to feed their animals. These were callous acts and the government shouldn’t allow these to happen without any check.
“Farming is our means of economic livelihood and self-sustainment. These people are silently killing us. They are destroying our means of survival to send us back to beggarly life.
“Time for the government to take action is now because we know how much we contribute to the attainment of food security in Ekiti from that axis.”
Appealing for help, Jamiu urged Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the Commissioner of Police for Ekiti Command, Mr. Dare Ogundare, and the Commandant of the State Amotekun Corps, Brig. Gen. Olu Adewa, to intervene and protect them from the unwarranted destruction on their farms.
“We have alerted the police and the Amotekun corps to our plight at Idege Farm multiple times, but it appears these vandals consider themselves above the law. This situation cannot be allowed to persist,” Jamiu concluded.
