Herdsmen: As Ondo farmers wait helplessly for the next attack…

Following the havoc reported to have been wreaked by herdsmen in Ondo State – the state, according to statistics, is said to be the worst-hit in recent times in the South-West, Hakeem Gbadamosi examines the situation so far, especially with the brewing tension in communities in the state, and efforts made so far to bring lasting peace.

Tension seems to be brewing in Ondo State between farmers and herdsmen in the state, following an escalation in the attacks on farmers and their farmlands in recent times. This is fuelled all the more by the nature of the attacks, the persistent, and sometimes, repeated straying with reckless abandon on farmlands, and the seeming disregard for the laws of the land.

With the series of attacks came dangerous dimensions in terms of attacks, kidnappings, raping, killings and setting of farms on fire. One of many unfortunate incidents was when herdsmen and their cows took over the runaway of the Akure airport, a situation which prevented airplanes from landing for more than 20 minutes. This happened a few weeks before men suspected to be herdsmen abducted the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, on his farm on his 77th birthday, in Ilado in Akure North Local Government Area of the state.

Prior to Falae’s abduction, there had been series of clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state, with the conflicts turning violent and leading to killing of farmers and destruction of farmlands, especially when farmers attempted to resist the invasion of herdsmen and their cows on their farmlands.

‘Not just farmlands, fish ponds are destroyed as well’

Speaking on the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state, Chairman of Ondo Farmers Association, Mr Akin Olotu, decried the rate of destruction by the cattle rearers and their cattle on farms across the state, saying farmers had been subjected to hardship and loss.

He said: “The menace is not restricted to crops alone; fish ponds are being ravaged as well. Cattle are brought there to drink water continuously and the net used in covering the ponds are destroyed; fishes in those ponds are stolen and growth of the remaining ones are hampered.”

The immediate past government, in its bid to nip the atrocities of herdsmen in the bud, established a synergy with security agencies and other stakeholders. The Mimiko-led government banned grazing in some areas within the state capital and other communities, which included Airport road, Army Barracks, Oba Ile, Oda road, Adofure, Idanre and the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

Why arrangement for registering of cattle broke down

The herdsmen were also mandated to register their cows, as a form of identification for herdsmen. This arrangement worked until a new administration came on board in the state. Unfortunately, when a new administration was inaugurated in the state, the former arrangement seemed to be ignored and some form of freedom for attacks came to the fore as Falae’s farm was invaded again and the herdsmen were said to have threatened to kill anyone who stood in their way.

The former SGF reported to the security agencies to avert another killing on his farmland, as one of his guards, Ayodele lge, who was a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), had been killed during an earlier attack by the herdsmen. But to Falae’s chagrin, the herdsmen engaged the policemen, who were on the farm to effect their arrest, in a gun duel.

Though there was no casualty, and the herdsmen took to their heels, according to reports, they came back in the early hours of the following day to search for their lost cows. The herdsmen did not leave without killing an innocent farmer, Linus Ogbeh, whom they met on his farm at Ileyo community in Akure North Local Government Area of the state. The killing ignited protests from farmers, especially non-indigenes. But for the timely intervention of the security operatives, who visited the community, the youths from the area would have taken law into their hands.

Herdsmen attacks, invitation to famine –Farmers

Farmers lamented the fear of going to their farms, just as they noted that the fear of herdsmen was an invitation to famine in the land. Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, the manager of Falae’s farm, Bruno Akhigbodemhe said: “We have not been able to go to the farms without the presence of security agents. These herdsmen would come in the night to destroy our farms. Apart from destroying the farm, they also set the farm on fire on many occasions.

“We obtain loans from banks to finance all these ventures, but how do we refund the loans when there is no harvest. The cows freely feed on our farms and this is not encouraging young people who wish to go into farming to embrace agriculture.”

He said they decided to erect a gate at the entrance of the farm to ward off the herdsmen and their cows, “only to find an arrow pinned to the door of the farm house the following day to serve as signal and warning to us that they will be coming back.”

Another farmer from Oke Agbe, in Akoko North West Local Government Area of the state, Idowu Oguntimehin, said the havoc caused by the herdsmen to farms in the area could not be quantified. He explained that herdsmen had caused untold hardship to his people who are predominantly farmers.

“The herdsmen kill, rape and maim our people, but you hardly hear about it because of the not-too-important status of the people involved. Our community has cried out times without number but this not put an end to the attacks. Many people do not go to their farms anymore. For the few of us that still manage to go to the farms, because we must eat, our level of farming has been reduced to the subsistence level,” Oguntimehin explained.

Another farmer from Ayede Ogbese, in the Akure North Local Government Area of the state, Lydia Lawal said: “The attacks by herdsmen prevent farmers from going to their farms and this has reduced the supply of most products to the market and this is also affecting the price of farm produce in the market. We all know that when supply drops as against demand, prices will go up. If the state government fails to do nothing to checkmate the activities of these herdsmen, famine would be staring us in the face.”

Lawal explained that the herdsmen invasion had contributed to the low productivity in agricultural produce, “owing to the fact that the people are scared to go to their farms and this is an invitation to hunger in the land as the people can no longer go to their farms.”

‘If they push us to the wall, we will deal with them’

For Nasiru Ademu, another farmer from Ayede Ogbese: “It has been hell here in the past few years. These herdsmen go into our farms with all forms of sophisticated weapons. If you are unlucky to meet them in the farm, you are either raped or brutally attacked with their weapons; many of our people have been killed on their own farmlands.

“For over one year now, we find it difficult to go to the bush for fear of attacks. We are mostly at home these days because if you decide to go to the farm, you will be doing so at your own risk. They have destroyed my farm twice this year, all in the name of grazing, but I know if they eventually push us to the wall, we shall find means to deal with them because our people cannot die of hunger over fear of herdsmen on our land.”

Madam Grace Ilemobola, a fish farmer also revealed that “Herdsmen have destroyed my fish ponds. They brought their cattle to drink from the ponds while the herdsmen harvested the fishes. These fishes were not yet mature, yet they eat them, thereby turning me to a debtor. Farming activities have reduced, many have gone bankrupt, while many families can no longer feed their wards again because we are no longer getting anything from our farms. We have been pleading to government to help us to drive these people from our land.”

Alhaji Rabiu Iwaloye from Owo, put the blame at the doorstep of the Federal Government, as he said government lacked the political will to put things right.

“The late response from the Federal Government to tackle the issue promptly, before it got out of hand, is responsible for these killings. The attitude of waiting till things get out of hand before they tackle issues, gave the herdsmen the will to operate unchecked and this is causing damage to our system.”

He noted that it was in the subconscious of the herdsmen that the lives of their cows were more important anyone on whose land they invaded. He said they were all the more daring because they seemed to get away with these killings.

Also speaking, the President, Coalition of Non Indigenes Associations, and Chairman, Agatu Farmers Association, Vincent Adonyi, said herdsmen had become a menace and a threat to food security and expressed the need for prompt checks in the state.

Adonyi said: “This is June; we do not have much maize. The cassava is not there and other food crops that we used to grow are not there because people were scared away from their farms. Herdsmen drove some of us away from Benue and Plateau states and now that we are here, the herdsmen have come again. This is disturbing and should be of concern to the government”

‘Economic life has dropped considerably’

Community leaders were not left out in the lamentation, as one of the community leaders in Uso in Owo Local Government Area of the state, who simply identified himself as Famurede, said until the state government decided to take the bull by the horn, the herdsmen would always remain kings, even outside their domain. He called for enactment of laws, as put in place in Ekiti State.

“Until serious action is taken against attacks, our people will continue to be slaves to these herdsmen. We want to appeal to the state government to do all within its reach to checkmate herdsmen attacks in the state by putting in place laws against grazing in the land. Production of cash crops and food crops, have reduced drastically because of the nefarious activities of these herdsmen. Our people are afraid to go to their farms and, as a result, food production has dropped drastically.

“Herdsmen take their cattle to our farms and destroy our crops after attacking our people. Economic life has dropped considerably. People no longer enjoy what they used to enjoy. There is no money and we are finding it extremely difficult to train our children in school because our people no longer go to farm and our products have been destroyed by herdsmen. Some of the women have ventured into other businesses to eke a living and to avoid being raped or killed on the farms,” Famurede stated.

Speaking on the development, the coordinator of OPC, Comrade Ogunsanya Pius, said: “It is particularly worrisome that these people have continued their killing spree across the country without any major condemnation by the Federal Government. It is even more worrisome that the innocent victims were brutally murdered for daring to challenge the herdsmen for grazing and destroying their farmlands.

The disturbing rate of attack on farms and the incessant attacks on Falae, also forced the leaders of communities in the state to cry out seeking for protection for Falae and other farmers across the state.

Herdsmen attacks and the loss of investors

Speaking during the press conference in Akure, the former Ambassador to Greece and Australia, Professor Olu Agbi, said the call became imperative to guide against another civil war.

He disclosed that the Deji-in-Council had set up a security committee headed by Chief Elemo of Akure kingdom, High Chief Segun Adedipe, to liaise with relevant security agencies to monitor the perpetrators of the attacks and bring them to book. He however appealed to investors, urging them “not to be dissuaded by the reports in the media as the community remains friendly to visitors and investors.”

Speaking on the steps taken by the state government to put an end to farmers and herdsmen clashes, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Segun Ajiboye, said the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, met with all the security agencies in the state recently and the herdsmen attacks issue and other security issues were adequately discussed.

He said: “Issues discussed included security in the state and how to flush out criminals and crime out of the state. I am sure the impact will soon be felt by the people of the state as all hands are on deck to ensure that Ondo State continues to remain the most peaceful state in the country.”

However, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, said the command was working round the clock to tackle the unwholesome activities of suspected herdsmen in the state.

He said the command had met with all relevant stakeholders in the state to find lasting solution to the frequent clashes between the herdsmen and farmers in the state. He noted that the command had deployed more policemen to some of the communities where the attacks had taken place to provide adequate protection.

He, however, solicited for the maximum cooperation of people in the state especially as it related to violent crimes, such as armed robbery and kidnapping, among others, in the state, saying crime prevention in any society was the joint responsibility of everyone He added that that protection of lives and property of the people is the major priority of the command.

“We have met with relevant and major stakeholders in the state to find lasting solution to the challenges of cattle rearers and the host communities,” he stated.