Herdsmen destroy farms in Osun villages

Tue, Jan 30, 2018 | By publisher


Security

SOME Fulani herdsmen have destroyed crops worth millions of naira in two communities in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State.

One of the farms in Oki village is owned by a lecturer at the Department of Business Administration at The Polytechnic, Imesi Ile, Mr. Patrick Olaniyan, while the rampaging herdsmen also destroyed the cassava plantation belonging Joseph Osundare in Uro village.

Olaniyan, who narrated how he had been incurring losses for sometimes from the destructive activities of the herders said the suspected Fulani herdsmen led their animals into his farm where he planted yam and destroyed everything.

He said, “I was away in Ibadan when this happened. All the heaps of yam that I planted were eaten by the cattle and the herders. The yam was ready for harvest and I was just waiting for the appropriate time to harvest it and take everything the market but this is what they have done.

“A similar incident happened in October and I went to report to the leader of the Hausa/Fulani community in Imesi Ile. He just promised that he would talk to the cattle rearers to stop driving their cattle into my farm. But how long will I continue to suffer these kinds of losses.

“I was about to harvest the yam and they drove their animals there and destroyed everything. The cattle ate most of it and I think their herders removed the remaining and carted them away.

“They also visited the farm of the vice principal of the secondary school inside The Polytechnic. The man had an accident and was hospitalised, still these people went to his farm and destroyed all his crops.

“How will Nigerians be encouraged to invest in crop production with this type of destruction and they do it all over the country. Fulani people would come here and drive us out of the farms yet the government has not seen anything wrong in it.”

Our correspondent also gathered that the herdsmen also extended destruction to the plantain farm of one of the princes in Imesi, Samuel Ajiboye.

Another resident of the town, Kayode Oguntola, told our correspondent that the herders had adopted a strategy of destroying farms in a community and then flee to avoid being arrested. – Punch

– Jan. 30, 2018 @ 03:38 GMT

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