Kaduna farmers cry out for help as herders’ attacks persist

The inhabitants of Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State have cried out over the destruction of their farmlands and the incessant attacks on the farmers.

The situation, they lamented, has continued without any form of check or caution on the suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Some of the residents who spoke with Arewa PUNCH in separate interviews appealed to the military authority and the Federal Government to urgently interven so as to save them from imminent hunger and loss of lives.

While speaking with our correspondent, the President of the Kaura Youth Coalition, Bawa Emmanuel, disclosed that one Joshua Daniel from Watyap community was the recent victim of such dastardly attacks.

Emmanuel revealed that Watyap was on Tuesday allegedly shot by a herder for complaining over the destruction of his farmland.

According to him, Daniel is currently receiving treatment at the Plateau Teaching Hospital.

Emmanuel lamented that many farms and crops of the people of Kaura communities, which have been estimated to run into millions of naira, have been destroyed by the marauding herdsmen.

The community union leader expressed the fear that the entire community, being an agrarian space, has nothing else to live on but its farm produce and yet, the people are helpless over the situation of events.

Arewa PUNCH reports that several farmers in the  community queried the security agencies if they would stay aloof and watch the herders ravage their farmlands in their homelands until the entire community comes to extinction?

Emmanual further told Arewa PUNCH, “Their crops have continually been destroyed by these audacious and brazen herdsmen who always perpetrate wickedness without consequences.

All efforts to dialogue, appeal, parley, and assuage the herdsmen to graze without encroaching on people’s farmland have fallen on deaf eyes.

“The herders will stand by and watch their cattle completely graze from one farm to the other. This has been the continuous plight of farmers, especially in the Yadi area.

“There have been so many forms of dialogue, with the farmers and herders on one hand, then the military on the other, but unfortunately, these dialogues always end on deaf ears,” Emmanuel stated.

Continuing, he insisted that, “The intervention by security forces became necessary as all efforts with the leadership of the community and state government to nip the tide have been thwarted by the Fulani herdsmen.”

He maintained that, “The only solution to this incessant problem is ranching because most of the time, these farmlands are destroyed at noondays when the farmers would have returned to their houses or at night.

Another victim of the suspected Fulani attacks, Gabriel Boniface, from the Dusei community, said two of his farmlands were destroyed without compensation, and this act has continued with no consequences.

He explained that three days ago, he alongside other friends had worked on the farm, but surprisingly, when they went the following day, “the farm had been destroyed, and we suspect that they carried out the heinous act late at night, around 8 pm.

“This act has been a normal occurrence in our community. Another farm not far from mine was also destroyed, which is more than a hectare.

“We are about to start the harvest season, yet most of the farms have been destroyed because it is over two months already. So, what do we harvest? What is the reward for our hard work?

“I have put over N200,000 on my two farms that have been destroyed with the help of other people.

“Some people who saw the destruction supported us to farm other farmlands,” Boniface cried out.

He accused one Ardo Suna Rabo, leader of the Fulani extraction, who resides in the Laduga grazing reserves of being lackadaisical over the lingering problem.

“Ardo Suna, being the Fulani leader, has not been talking to his subordinates to restrain themselves  from attacking our farmlands in our axis with their herds.”

Boniface also alleged that, “70 to 80 per cent of the Fulani herders are unknown to us, as such, it is not easy to take decisive actions against , but we have been  talking to the military authorities and reporting many of such cases to them.”

The Chairman of the Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kaura chapter, Dr. Michael Dogo avvered that the experience of farmers in Kaura Local Government Area is seriously devastating and heartbreaking.

According to him, cattles are currently feeding on farmers’ crops that should be harvested at the end of this month. Recently, we had a sitting with the Police Area Commandant to see how the ugly trend can be addressed,” he stated.

He disclosed that most of the Fulani herdsmen grazing on their farmlands are not inhabitants of their communities, saying “they’re people who had one problem or another from various places like Barkin Ladi, Ganawuri, and, most especially, areas that were volatile in Plateau State.”

He explained further, “Most of the Fulani herdsmen carry rifles while grazing.

“Just last week, there was a misunderstanding between a farmer and a herder. The herder went and carried a rifle and shot at the farmer on the head. Thank God he narrowly escaped death  is currently receiving treatment at one of the hospitals in Jos,” Dogo recounted.

He lamented that the situation last year was bad. “There was a bumper market in Manchok where people from Chad, Niger Republic and the other nearby countries used to come, but because of the activities of the Fulani invasion and destruction of farmlands, we experienced acute hunger and lost crops worth over N700 million.

“This year, the herders just push their cattle to graze on it, and we have not reached the end of the season; we have so far lost N50 million worth of crops.

However, with the intervention of the military and the ongoing dialogue, we’re hoping that it would reduce the magnitude of the destruction.”

Another victim, Laitu Behu, from the Gizagwei community, said half of her farm she protected with sticks was invaded and destroyed by Fulani herders.

Behu in anguish lanented her loss; “I have spent over N50,000 on the farm, and it’s from there that I get that money to take care of my aged mother in the Village,” adding, “but we are not allowed to enjoy the good harvest of our hard work. After putting in a lot of money to buy grains abs seedlings to farm, these heartless boys will storm my farm alongside other peoples’ farm to feed their cows and sheep from our cash crops and grains.

“Their activities are ruining our resources and farmlands. It is from these farmlands that many of us pay our rent, pay other fees, and also feed ourselves.

“It is unfortunate that this blatant disregard for other people’s rights has continued to go unchecked by the authorities.

The desecration and damage done to our farmlands have been a recurring decimal in our surrounding communities during the farming season, and we are made to watch helpless,” she told Arewa PUNCH in tears.