To Tackle Herdsmen, Federal Government Says Nigerian Farmers May Have To Pay For Security To Protect Their Farms

Farmers may have to pay for the federal government to provide them with security against kidnappers and other intruders (Criminal Fulani Herdsmen) who may want to invade their farms.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, while briefing journalists at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in Abuja where President Muhammadu Buhari presided.

Ogbeh, who was answering questions from journalists said he had already held a meeting with the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, adding that government was considering various measures to protect farmers.

The minister said kidnapping would not stop but that government was determined to protect investors.

He said: “I had a meeting with the Minister of Interior, we were looking at security situation in agriculture. Sometime last year, some gunmen went to Olu Falae’s farm, a Nigerian in status, in age and ranking, and took him away and marched him around, forced him to trek ten kilometres, even carried him on their backs.

“Many more farmers are coming in, including foreign investors, and they stand the risk of being subjected to this kind of humiliation.

“So, we are talking with Ministry of Interior that we have to put measures in place. These things are happening in other countries too, where the civil defence corps may have to train a special department to protect huge investors and investment in their farms for a fee, because kidnapping will not stop.

“From the security point of view, we have to take measures to make sure that people who invest are protected.

“In other countries of the world, you may have noticed that people live in their farms, you hardly see a farmer who lives in the city, he lives in the farm with his family, you cannot do that here. They will come and take you, your wife and children in the name of kidnapping, we have to stop it and we have to use the legitimate instrument of state to do it because the farmer has no right to buy a gun to protect himself.”

Nationwide, Criminal Fulani Herdsmen continue to sack farmers, rape women in some cases, kill and kidnap the Nigerian farmers who are mostly smallholders..