Farmers in Ugo community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies to intervene in the destruction of their farmland and produces by suspected herdsmen.
One of the farmers in the community, Michael Eghaghe, who spoke to journalists on behalf of all farmers, alleged that his cocoa, cassava, pineapple and plantain farms, measuring 64 hectares, were destroyed by the herders.
He said many farmers at Ugo community have been killed while farm produce was set ablaze.
Eghaghe said the herders have been grazing on his farm since 2017, but that he started documenting the destruction of his farm since 2018 when they set his plantain and cocoa plantation farms ablaze.
“They used their cattle to graze all sections of the farms, particularly the area where plantain, pineapple, cocoa, cassava and matured cocoa trees were grown, with some other sections of the farmland also set ablaze.
“In my cassava farms, they brought their cattle to graze on it and uprooted the cassava for their cattle to feed and also cut down the plantain for the cattle to also eat.
He alleged that after destroying his crops, four GP tanks, two weed spraying pump machines and the keys to the farmhouse were destroyed while his workers were assaulted.
He also appealed to the state government and relevant security agencies and stakeholders to come to their aid, adding that he had written several petitions to the appropriate authorities to draw their attention to activities of herders in the community without success.
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