President Muhammadu says the Federal Government has deployed 5,000 Civil Defence Agro-Rangers to offer protection to farming investments.
In a national broadcast to commemorate the 2020 Democracy Day on Friday, the president reiterated his administration’s commitment to diversifying the economy, noting that agriculture remains “the key” to this strategy.
The Agro Rangers is a special unit set up within the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to primarily protect investments in the agricultural sector and avert ‘farmers-herders clashes’ across the country.
Agro Rangers is the brain-child of the federal government in the reduction of herdsmen and farmers conflicts in the country.
The 5,000 Agro-Rangers deployed to protect farmers and their investments from incessant attacks by bandits and criminal elements, including providing security to investments in the agricultural sector for both domestic and international businesses; will provide physical security to the proposed 250 cattle ranches by the Federal Government.
It would be noted that after it was agreed that a special security outfit for agro protection be provided by the NSCDC, the Commandant General of the Corps Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu created a special unit called Agro Rangers unit with an Assistant-Commandant as head. Officers were further screened and sent for special training for the task. State commands of the corps were asked to replicate the same for posting. Over 5000 personnel have been trained and posted for the task.
