Farmers’ group decry constant herdsmen attack in Enugu

Jude Chinedu, Enugu

All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Enugu State chapter has decried the constant attacks and destruction of farms by herdsmen stating that farmers no longer feel safe in the state.

Chairman of the union, Mr. Romanus Eze, told Daily Sun, yesterdays, that the destruction of farmlands by herders, despite efforts by the state government to secure the farms, saying the attacks had led to huge financial loses to local farmers.

“Our farmers are suffering. We get reports from here and there, especially in this dry season, where the herders hardly see green leaves, so they go to farms.  Herdsmen are still destroying our farms. Our state is not as volatile as some other states in terms of farmers/herders conflict, but government has to do more because most of our farmers still complain that their farms are been vandalised. That is why we are encouraging cluster farming.

“Herdsmen have stopped a huge number of us from going to the farm. Farmers who are in the town usually go to the hinterlands to farm, but when you go there and put up your farm, the next morning, you won’t see anything there again.

“So it’s a big challenge and most of our farmers have lost huge amount of money and other resources. They say they cannot go to the farm again. This is telling on the overall output of farmers in the state,” Eze said.

He said a  committee was set up to address the issue, but said farmers were not represented in the committee.

“Unfortunately the head of farmers in the state is not in that committee. They presented somebody who we don’t know and what they discuss in that committee nobody gets back to the farmers,” he said.