In a letter signed by the General Secretary of the association, Mr. Marcus Adeniyi, and copied to the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe; the Grand Patron of IDIPR, the Awujale of Ijebu-land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Area Commander, Nigerian Police Force, Ijebu-Ode, among others, the group alleged that over 43 hectres of Cocoa, rubber and plantain plantations were ravaged by the suspected herd men domicilling in the area.
According to the group, the affected areas include Okemorisa, where 22 hectares of rubber plants were destroyed, while another 18 hectares, located at Imodi-Ijasi were also affected. Others, include three hectares of cocoa and plantains at Imope, where properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed.
According to the statement, “Herdsmen who destroyed the plantations at Okemorisa, Imodi-Ijasi farm villages were identified by the neighbouring cassava farmers whose farmlands were also affected. “The villagers testified that it was the herdsmen that set fire on the IDIPR plantation firm and these farmers were able to detain the culprits till the arrival of IDIPR officials, while the culprits were handed over to the police at Ijebu Area Command Headquarters, Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode”, said the letter, adding that the group had, on several occasions, warned the cattlemen on their activities as they constitute not only nuisance to the communities, but also to the environment in general.
“IDIPR is a Community-based Non-Governmental Organisation with special interest in agriculture for the purpose of reducing poverty, increasing food production in Nigeria, with a membership of more than 2000 farmers, belonging to 145 cooperative societies operating in eight villages across Ijebu-land”, said Adeniyi.
Bemoaning the situation, the traditional ruler of Imodi-Ijasi, High Chief Femi Boyejo Adetayo, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune in Ijebu-Ode last week, stated that the community offered about 200 hectres of land for the IDIPR for the purpose of economic activities, but that herdsmen had made nonsense of their efforts.
“We all know how important land is, but because of the IDIPR’s noble objectives, people of Imodi-Ijasi willingly gave the land to them, but unfortunately, these heartless invaders went and set fire on the rubber plantation and destroyed the entire plants.”
“Unfortunately, our vigilante group were unable to apprehend them because before they got to the farm, the Fulani heardsmen had crossed the Ome River to Odogbolu, where one of them was apprehended and taking to Igbeba police station, and that was why I came to see the General Manager of IDIPR so that we can go together and see what the police are doing on the matter”, said Chief Adetayo.
Speaking on the matter, one of the Stakeholders, who also spoke with Nigerian Tribune, Mr. Olalekan Ajia, a retired staff of UNICEF, decried the development, especially, the indiscriminate burning of bush and farmland, stating that consequences as such act are inimical to the environment and a direct invitation to hunger.
According to him, despite the insecurity of lives and property that activities of Fulani herdsmen constitute, burning of farmland, even ordinary bush is at variance with climate change adaptation which every nations of the world are trying to grapple with.
“Except drastic actions are taking to stem the tide of wanton destruction of lives and property by these invaders, Nigeria is not only playing with hunger, but also a devastating consequences of climate change on our environment”, said Ajia.
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