•Herdsmen: We are discussing with CBN for security funding ― Cassava farmers
•Amotekun flushes out 37 herdsmen, 5,000 cows from forest reserves, streets in Ondo
Ibe Pascal Arogorn
Three farmers have reportedly been killed by suspected herders at the small town of Ugo in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State while farm produces worth almost N600 million were also destroyed and set ablaze.
A farmer, Mr Michael Eghaghe alleged that the Fulani cattle rearers used their cattle to graze the farmlands where thousands of plantain, pineapple, cocoa, cassava and mature cocoa trees are grown, adding that they also slashed and set the farmlands ablaze.
Eghaghe who spoke in Benin yesterday said that the herders have been grazing on his farm since 2017, just as he added that the farm measured 64 hectares.
He said that he started taking proper records of the destruction of his farm way back in 2018 as the herders set the farm ablaze.
“They placed thousands of cattle in my cassava farm and uprooted the crops for cow feed. They also cut down the plantain, feeding their livestock with the stem. The here’s suck the water during the dry season and also serve as medicine.”
He continued: “While some of the crops were set ablaze, uprooted, slashed and cut down by the herders, four big water tanks, two weed spraying pump machines and the keys to the farmhouse were also destroyed and some of my workers were assaulted with different degrees of body injuries.”
He disclosed that he was kidnapped by the killer herdsmen in his farm and a ransom of N1 million paid for his release, noting that he has written several petitions to President Muhammadu Buhari; Attorney-General of the Federation; the IGP; Edo State Governor; Director, DSS; the Commandant of 4 Brigade; the Commissioner of Police, Edo State; Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Edo State, to draw their attention to the illegal activities of the herders.
While appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to come to his aid, the farmer said that he is highly frustrated by the activities herders.
Suspected herdsmen set school ablaze in Kogi, as gunmen kill timber contractor
Some suspected herdsmen on Wednesday afternoon invaded Government Secondary School Iluke in Kabba Bunu local government council and allegedly burnt down the School.
Also, a timber contractor based in Ayangba in Kogi State, Mr Ogwu Salihu, has been killed by some unknown gunmen.
Tribune Online reliably gathered the school was invaded at about 3 pm when students had closed from school.
According to the source, it was discovered that a block of classrooms has been set ablaze by some suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The source said one of the suspects was arrested and handed over to the Kabba/Bunu divisional police officer.
However, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, CP Ayuba Edeh while contacted he said no suspect has been handed over to the state headquarters of the command.
In the case of the timber contractor, Salihu who was based in Ayangba, the incident happened early hours of Wednesday at the deceased’s concubine’s house where he went to pass a night.
The concubine whose name was given as Safiya had for four children for her former husband before they separated.
The relationship between Safiya and the deceased had been a subject of controversy as the late timber contractor was alleged to be the person behind Safiya divorcing her husband.
The chairman of Dekina Local Government Council, Prince Isiak Shaibu, who attended the funeral along with the Divisional Police Officer, DPO condemned the act and vowed to bring those behind the dastardly act to book.
Ogwu has become the third person to be killed by gunmen in Ayangba Community within four months.
The first victim of the assassination in the area was a former chairman of Dekina Local Government Council, Mr Adejo Akowe, who was murdered in broad daylight at a restaurant near the university at Ayangba.
This was followed by a police officer, an indigene of the community that came home for holiday during Christmas, who was also murdered.
Residents of the university community are now living in fear as insecurity continues.
Herdsmen: We are discussing with CBN for security funding ― Cassava farmer
The National President of Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Pastor Segun Adewumi, has said that following the fear of herdsmen attack, most farmer leaders now go to farms with police escorts.
He said the situation has deteriorated that most farmers have abandoned their farms despite collecting loans to set up the farms.
Speaking with Tribune Online, Pastor Adewumi said he has been receiving several reports of attack on his members by suspected Fulani herdsmen while on their farms.
He said they are in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for additional funding for farmers to provide security for their farms.
“We have this issue of herdsmen attack, our farmers said that some of them will uproot cassava and give it raw to their cow. The fear of kidnapping and attack doesn’t allow people to go to the farm, so most of our farms have been abandoned.
“Unfortunately, loans were taken to set up most of these farms but in the long run, we have to abandon them.
We have been talking to the Central Bank of Nigeria for an additional fund for security of the farm, but it is not all the herdsmen that are bad.
“Most farmers cannot go to farms because of fear of kidnapping, even most of us who are farmer leaders we used to go to farms with police escorts and a lot of escorts, so how do we grow food?”
The NCGA President said in some countries that are into dairy production, open grazing isn’t practised over there, and they get maximum output from their animals.
“We have seen what is happening in many other countries of the world, I understand that dairy product is one of the main income earners for India, in Ireland, they were one of the net importers of dairy products, but they now export 90 per cent of their dairy products, and in these places, there is no open grazing like we see in Nigeria, I believe that our government will do something so that the farms can enter their farms,” he added.
Amotekun flushes out 37 herdsmen, 5,000 cows from forest reserves, streets in Ondo
The Ondo State Commander of the Security Network Agency, Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, on Thursday said about 37 herdsmen and their over 5000 cows have been sent out of the government reserves forest and the state.
This followed their refusal to register with the state government.
Adeleye who disclosed this while speaking with Tribune Online correspondent said some of the herdsmen had been violating the order of the state government and were sent packing from the forest.
Adeleye said some of the herdsmen said that could not cope with the terms and conditions of the state government and opted out of the forest and the state.
He said some of the herdsmen were sent out if the forest reserves in Ala, Oda and Ofosu forests of the state after a meeting with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah in the state.
He said, “Some of them opted to leave the state because they couldn’t meet with our terms and conditions. They came through the Chairman of Miyetti Allah in the state.
“Some of them opted to go to Osun, Edo and Kogi States. So our men escorted them to the boundaries of those states. We have to monitor their movements out of the state so that they would not destroy farms on their way out.
“About 37 herders have been flushed out of the state with about 5,000 cows. Majority of the herders have been coming to us through their chairman and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Hausa Matters.
We will not tolerate any herdsman who refused to register and this was one of the reasons we involved their chairman who joined us to lead them out and anybody caught again after this would be arrested and prosecuted.”
The Amotekun boss implored the farmers to always call on the corps whenever the cows invade and destroy their farms and should not take laws into their hands, saying the corps would respond immediately.
“It is always difficult for us to trace the herders after they had destroyed the farms but if we are called upon during the act, we will come to make an arrest and ensure that the herders pay for what they destroy.”
It will be recalled that the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has issued a four-point order which include ejection of herdsmen from the forest reserves, ban on movement of cattle along the highways and within the cities, ban on night grazing and under-aged grazing.
The governor also asked the herdsmen to register with the state government to enable them to operate legitimately within the state.
Bakare: Open grazing is obsolete… it needs to end
Tunde Bakare, overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, says open grazing, which is currently being practised in the country needs to end.
Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday, Bakare said the world has moved beyond the practice of open grazing.
According to the pastor, Nigerians must separate pastoralists from the “terrorists” in the forests causing trouble.
“I will also bring to the attention of Mr President, and I know his ministers and those in government will be doing the same with him. One of the issues is open grazing. It is obsolete and it needs to end. It needs to end because the nations of the earth had gone beyond this,” he said.
“I was in Glasgow, I was in Israel; there are so many things that we can do about agricultural pastoralism that would stop all the troubles in our land.
“We’ve lived with Fulani and Fulani have lived with us across our lands. We must separate this agricultural pastoralism from the second thing, the terrorists in the forests. The government must fish out the criminals.
“We must be careful of indiscriminate violence and separate terrorists in the forests from agricultural pastoralism.”
Bakare, who called for more action to address insecurity in the country, added that the invasion of peoples’ farms must be stopped.
Ooni has forgiven Sunday Igboho, says aide
Moses Olafare, media aide to Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife, says the monarch has forgiven Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader better known as Sunday Igboho.
Igboho had described Ogunwusi as a “Fulani slave”, when he spoke during a virtual town hall with Yorubas in the diapora on Wednesday.
According to Igboho, the Ooni had visited President Muhammadu Buhari, but failed to tell him the truth about the plight of Yoruba people in the hands of herders.
However, Igboho later apologised to the monarch in an interview with Isokan Omo Oodua TV.
He asked Ogunwusi to forgive him, adding that he was caught in the moment.
Answering questions on the incident in Ile-Ife on Thursday, Olafare, Ogunwusi’s director of media and public affairs, said the monarch has accepted Igboho’s apology and forgiven him.
He said it is not in the style of the Ooni to make an official response on any matter that threatens the unity and peace of the country, especially as it affects the descendants of Oduduwa.
“Sunday Igboho still remains a son to the Ooni. Baba has already forgiven him because he had tendered an apology via a video clip he produced via social media yesterday evening,” Olafare said.
“Before tendering the apology, it was the Baba Olugbon of Ile-Igbon that first called and informed Arole Oodua on phone that he had scolded Sunday on phone on his misdeeds, and that he would soon tender a public apology to him on the matter via a video release. Sunday Igboho thereafter released the video in which he tendered his apology.
“Even though the way and manner Sunday had behaved was sacrilegious to the Oduduwa throne, he has already apologised and I can confirm that Arole Oodua has forgiven him, because there is no perfection in humanity. Sunday is a human being like any other normal human being who could misbehave as well. No one is perfect!.
“Like I said, he has apologised through Kabiyesi Olugbon, who called Baba on his behalf, and Arole Oodua has forgiven him. Let’s just let the matter rest.”
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