Suspected Herders Destroy Farm Produce Worth N5m, Kill Farmers In Edo

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Farmers in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State have lost farm produce worth N577,162,000 to suspected herdsmen.

The suspected herders also killed several farmers at Ugo comminity of the local government area and set ablaze, uprooted, slashed, breakdown and cut down farm produce of farmers in the area.

A prominent farmer in Igue community, Mr. Michael Eghaghe, while disclosing this to newsmen in Benin, noted that the herders have used their cattle to grazed all sections of the farms wherein thousands of plantain, pineapple, cocoa, cassava and matured cocoa trees were grown, adding that they also slashed and set the farmland ablaze.

While further narrating his ordeal in the hands of the killer herders and the destruction done to his farm and orders, Mr Eghaghe said the herders have been grazing on his farm since 2017, just as he added that the farm measuring 64 hectares is planted with cocoa, cassava, pineapple and plantain.

According to him, he started taking proper record of the destruction of his farm since 2018 as the herders set his cocoa, plantain, cocoa, plantation farm ablaze.

“They place thousands of cattle in my cassava farm and uprooted the cassava for their cattle to be eating, and also cut down the plantain for the cattle to be eaten, and suck its water during the dry season as it also serve as medicine.

“While some of the crops were set ablaze, uprooted, slashed, breakdown and cut down by the herders Four GP tanks, two weed spraying pump machines and the keys to the farm house were destroyed and some of my workers were also asulted with various body injuries,” he lamented.

While recounting how he was kidnapped by the killer herdsmen in his farm and a ransom of N1m was paid for his release, Mr Eghaghe pointed out that he has written several petitions to President Muhammadu Buhari; Attorney-General of the Federation; the IGP; Edo State Governor; Director, DSS; the Commandant of 4 Brigade; the Commissioner of Police, Edo State; Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Edo State, to draw their attention to activities of the herders, lamenting that all were not fruitful.

The farmer, while stating that he is highly frustrated by the herders activities, appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to come to his aid.

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