Cocoa growers ask Buhari to stop farmers’ killing by herdsmen

Members of the Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria, have appealed to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to find a lasting solution to the killing of farmers by herdsmen across the country.

The farmers, who decried the criminal activities of some herdsmen, said the Presidency needed to tackle the menace to avoid famine in the country, adding that many farmers were now afraid of going to the farm for fear of being attacked by herdsmen.

The President of the association, Mr Ayodele Ojo, made the appeal after the meeting of the national executive members in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday.

Ojo, who commended the Minister for Agriculture, Sambo Nanono, for the various interventions that serve as palliatives to farmers in Nigeria, said herdsmen had perpetrated lots of crime in the country in recent times and the situation needed prompt intervention of the President in order to prevent famine.

He said, “We farmers are appealing to President Buhari to caution the herdsmen to stop killing farmers and destroying their farmlands. Enough is enough.

“The farmers are being killed without any check; crops are being destroyed by cows of the herders on a daily basis; cocoa farms are being burnt down by herders in some states and nothing is being done about it. This has discouraged many men from investing in agriculture and this is not good for our country’s economy. So, we need the intervention of the President.”

Ojo also called the Federal Government to include members of the association as beneficiaries of medium term credit facilities and also of the Coronavirus aid, relief and economic security project.