A'Ibom Maize Farmers Decry Destruction By Herdsmen, Seek Govt Intervention
The leadership of
Maize Growers, Processors and Marketing Association of Nigeria,
Akwa Ibom gathered at the All
Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) office at Atakpo
Street, Uyo to condemn the
destruction of their maize farms
by herdsmen in the state.
At an extra-ordinary meeting that was presided over by
the state chairman of the organization, Apostle Etop Udoh
Affia, with local government
area coordinators and members in attendance, they lamented that more than 100
hectares of their land cultivated with maize were destroyed by herdsmen who
feed their cattle at the night in
those farms, damaging the
crops and frustrating their efforts towards reaping bountiful harvests in the state.
Udo Affia noted with regrets that the menace of herds men has posed a serious threat
to the N100,000 interest-free
loan the state government
granted his members and that
of the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) Anchor Borrower
Programme (ABP) for cultivation of maize.
He said the meeting with the
affected maize farmers was
necessary to enable them to
present their reports on the
negative impact of night grazing by herdsmen in the state,
pleading with the state government to intervene to bring
the ugly situation under control.
The coordinator for Ikono
chapter, Apostle Smarth
Essien Ntuk, who presented
photographs on the destruction of his 3.5 hectares of maize
farm, said his farm suffered the
greatest destruction of crops
by herdsmen.
Ntuk said his maize farm has
been visited twice this year by
cattle herders, noting that the latest visit brought massive
destruction on his maize farm.
He said the matter which
has reduced him to square one
has been reported to the Divisional Police Officer in Ikono
Local Government Area and
the village head of Ndiya Etok
without positive response.
The coordinator for Nsit
Ubium Local Government
Area, Mrs Benedeth Ernest
Bassey, while narrating her
ugly experience on the activities of Fulani herdsmen, said 5
hectares of maize cultivated by
Justin Ekpo; Ernest Bassey
and Fabian in Ikot Oku Ikono,
Uyo Local Government Area
were destroyed by cattle herders.
Bassey said the matter was
reported to the village head of
Ikot Oku Ikono who asked her
to make money available for
the construction of sign post
where warn against the operations of herdsmen in the area.
The coordinator for Uruan
Local Government
Area, Engineer Ini Jackson
Urua, said large hectares of
maize farm in Ituk Mbang were
equally devastated by herdsmen who operated in the
night.
The coordinator for Uyo,
Mrs Esther Edet Marcel, also
reported that many hectares of
her members' maize farm in
Mbiokporo 1 community were
not spared by the activities of
herdsmen, noting with regret
that melon crops that were
planted along side maize were
tactically removed by the
Fulani herdsmen in the day
time to make for easy passage
of cattle into their farms.
Similar ugly report on the
destruction of maize farms
were presented at the meeting
in Uyo by the local government coordinators in Nsit Atai,
Abak and Ukana Ikot Etim in
Essien Udim Local Government
Area.
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