Agriculture
The Niger chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has said that incessant attacks by suspected bandits on communities in the state, have prevented members from going to their farms.
AFAN Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Galadima, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Minna.
According to him, farmers are afraid of going to their farms for fear of being killed, kidnapped, raped or abducted by the suspected bandits, whose activities had overwhelmed the state government.
“We cannot do anything now because our activities are practical in nature, and based in the farm.
“Right now, we are supposed to be talking about dry season farming, but our farmers are constantly attacked by the bandits, who also seize their farm produce.
“Many of our farmers now live in Internally Displaced Persons camps across the state; so, tell me how will they farm from there,” he said.
Galadima said that many displaced farmers now only think of how to save their families and resettle in their ancestral homes.
“If the security challenges persist, we may run into food shortage which will make food security a mirage,” he said.
The AFAN chairman decried a situation where many farmers had lost their lives, loved ones and properties to the suspected bandits.
He noted that the current insecurity had affected all spheres of life in the country, as some of the farmers had migrated to the urban areas, owing to constant attacks on their communities.
Galadima said that the association had no fewer than 1.6 million members in the state.
He therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to collaborate with the State and Local Governments toward tackling the issue across the country.
NAN reports that 10 out of the 25 local government areas in the state have been attacked by the suspected bandits.
The local government areas include Shiroro, Rafi, Munya, Tafa, Paikoro, Gurara, Mariga, Mashegu, Lapai and Borgu. (NAN)
– Feb. 12, 2020 @ 16:29 GMT |
Tags: Insecurity halts farming activities in Niger – AFAN
