Farmers have beseeched President Bola Tinubu, through the Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria, to find immediate solutions to the persistent bandits’ attacks on them and their produce.
The group bemoaned the incalculable number of farmers who have perished, many of whom were reportedly abducted from their farms following bandits’ attacks throughout the nation.
Speaking on Monday in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, Mr. Ayodele Ojo, National President of the Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria, bemoaned the ongoing killing of farmers and the destruction of their farmlands.
He claimed that as a result of the alleged attacks, the bandits and kidnappers had taken control of their farms and security personnel appeared powerless, majority of farmers had abandoned their farms out of fear of being killed or kidnapped. Some of the farmers’ were kidnapped and we had to pay a ransom to release them.
“We don’t know what is happening,”Ojo remarked. We ask Mr. President to look into the situation immediately since the level of insecurity in the country is out of control. Even though the produce is ready for harvest, farmers are unable to reach their farms in order to harvest it.
“We are in a really tough situation now that some of the hoodlums have taken over some of our members’ farms, as we are not permitted to visit them in the future. For weeks now, a lot of us have avoided going to the farms out of fear that we will be abducted..
“We need President Tinubu to come to our aid, we need security agencies to come to our aid, our means of livelihood are threatened, and our lives are in danger. These people kidnap farmers for ransom, and if a farmer fails to pay, he can be killed.”
He issued a warning that there might be a food scarcity this year and in the future if the problem is not resolved.
The President of CPFAN stated that farmers nationwide protested the President’s new directive, urging state governors to grant herders access to property for grazing. The President further explained that the establishment of grazing zones for herders invites conflicts between farmers and herders around the nation.
He pointed out that the farmers faced many obstacles and that the federal government should not be a part of the land’s food shortages.
He claimed that requiring state governors to provide land for grazing would be a replication of the same failed tactics used in the past.
“We have faith in President Tinubu’s ability to resolve Nigeria’s issues, but we implore him to provide the agriculture sector more funding in order to find a long-term solution to the difficulties with food security that the nation faces.
“We completely disagree with President Tinubu’s suggestion to create grazing zones. Finding a solution to the food scarcity issue and ways to motivate farmers to increase their crop production are currently priorities, in order to prevent further devastation,” he said.
