Herdsmen attacks: National food security in danger - Ex-naval chief
- An ex-naval senior staff, Samuel Afolayan, has said that constant herdsmen attack in Nigeria is a threat to food supply, job creation and economic growth
- Afolayan complained that recently some suspected herdsmen attacked his farmland in Kwara state, destroying crops worth about N59.5m
- He said that the federal government should wake up and tighten security across the country
Vice-Admiral Samuel Afolayan, an ex-naval senior staff has said that the efforts of the federal and state governments to ensure national food sufficiency, employment generation, industrialisation and diversification of the economy may be to no avail if the menace of destruction of farmlands and attack on farmers by suspected herdsmen is not curbed.
Afolayan reported on Wednesday, March 14, to newsmen that the herders recently attacked his special royal farm at Obbo-Ile in the Ekiti local government area of Kwara state, destroying 121 hectares of his 500 hectare farmland, with the loss valued at N59.5m.
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He further remarked that seven of the suspected herders had been arrested and handed over to the police. Before now, Afolayan had cried out that herders destroyed about 20 hectares of orange farm, 20 hectares of cassava farm and five hectares of palm farm belonging to him and valued at more than N200m.
He complained that neither the federal Government nor the state government had come to his aid. He added that only the Ekiti local government council chairman visited the farm and sympathised with him.
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He remarked: “The continued destruction of farms by herdsmen is sad. For me, and with my experience, without the FG taking serious steps to halt herdsmen destruction, the FG’s food production and employment programme will be in vain.
“The action of the herdsmen has proved to me that it is a deliberate act. Now, I have traced their cows to their camps; that is why I concluded that somebody living a distance of between three and six kilometres goes inside my farm to destroy it. I believe it is intentional.”
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the limited cassava availability and increased cost of cassava products within the country, was caused by the incessant attacks on farmlands by suspected herdsmen. This was according to the Nigeria Cassava growers association.
Nigerian herdsmen vs Nigerian farmers - On Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
