As Nigeria battles the hurricane of deadly attacks perpetrated by criminal gangs famously called bandits, farmers in agrarian communities in the southwest region have added their voices to the cries, begging authorities to defend them against the attackers.
Farmers no longer have access to their farms for fear of being attacked or kidnapped, the national president of the Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria, CPFAN, Ayodele Ojo, said in a message to President Bola Tinubu on Sunday.
The terrorists usually arrive at the villages on motorcycles and with sophisticated weapons to raid, loot and destroy. Any person they meet during the operation is either kidnapped or killed.
Sometimes, they block access to farmlands and owners are only allowed access upon the payment of a levy which can range between N50,000 to N500,000 or more.
“These people kidnap farmers for ransom and if a farmer fails to pay, he can be killed,” Ojo said, explaining the gravity of the situation.
“We are in a very difficult situation now because we cannot visit our farms. Many of us have not been to the farms for weeks now because of the fear of being kidnapped by these terrorists. They are marauding on our farmlands).”
Without help from the government and security agencies, the farmers watch as their farms, their means of livelihood, are being forcefully taken from them.
“Even our children can’t follow us to the farm again; they’re now scared of getting killed or watching their parents being abducted by these bandits,” Ojo added.
He sought the help of security agencies and President Bola Tinubu, saying “We need security agencies to come to our aid; our means of livelihood are now being threatened, and our lives are in danger. We are asking the president to attend to this issue urgently.”
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