As security challenges keep to mount on villages across Nigeria, farmers in has decried over the insecurity issues which they claimed to be a threat on their farming business.
Farmers in State attributed food scarcity to the frequent invasion of their farms by herdsmen. They argued that in the past, many families had enough food at home and only sold what was necessary to meet other needs but now, families are stranded because they have lost both their homes and means of livelihood to the activities of some herders.
The farmers said they have lost different types of grains, tubers and vegetables among other crops to the unwholesome activities of herdsmen who apart from destroying the crops in the farm, also burnt food barns where foodstuffs and seedlings were kept. Respondents from Bokkos, Bassa, and Wase local government areas of the state unanimously lamented their sorry situation.
Ujan Mashat whose village, Folloh in Bokkos local government area was recently attacked said, “There is food scarcity because the herders are intentional in their attempt at impoverishing the people, many crops due for harvest have been destroyed by the herders who always attack us. Their cows would graze the crops while the herders would burn the harvested ones stored at home. When communities are deserted, they have a field day grazing on farms without any repercussion”.
Patience Auta, a native of Ancha village, Miango district, Irigwe chiefdom of Bassa local government area added, “I am a farmer but I ran from the village to Jos in January this year to engage in petty trading because of incessant attacks by herders. Everybody knows that an average Irigwe person is a farmer but many villages are deserted, we cannot go to the farms for fear of being killed by herders.
If you succeed in farming, your crops would be grazed by cows and the entire resources and efforts wasted.
