Hardship: Taraba residents now stealing farm produce

Some residents of Taraba have started stealing farm pŕoduce to feed their families. 

Reports from some communities across the state revealed that incidents of thief of raw Cassava, Yam and Maize were recorded in recent weeks.

A lady, who owned a cassava  farm in one of the villages in Ardo-Kola local government area of the state, told Daily Trust that she caught her neighbours harvesting cassava in her farm severally.

The lady farmer, Lami John, told our reporter that the first person she caught in her farm confessed that he stole cassava from her farm not to sell but to feed his family.

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“I told him to go and l did not report the matter to our ward head because l know him as an honest person,” she said.

Lami stated further that she recorded more of such cases in her farm and  all those she caught were her neighbours and actually stole the cassava to feed their families.

Further findings revealed that theft of Yam and Maize in the farms is now rampant in villages across the state.

Another farmer, Ibrahim Suleiman, told Daily Trust that he caught his neighbours stealing Maize in his farm four times but did not report the matter to the police or to their ward head.

He said he knew that those he caught were never identified with any criminal acts in the village but probably  the hard time might be the factor behind their action.

According to him,  theft  of farm produce is now being carried out during the day time and those caught confessed that poverty and lack of food at home  pushed them to steal from the farm.