AKURE (Sundiata Post) – Farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector in the southern part of Nigeria have protested the Defence Headquarters’ deployment of military personnel to protect only farmers in the north against terrorists and bandits’ attacks. They said the exclusion of farmers in the South in the security arrangement was shocking and strange.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba disclosed this in a statement issued recently .
He explained that the deployment has enabled several farmers access to their farms.
“With the commencement of the rainy season, troops are currently deployed in several parts of the north, particularly in the NW and NC states to protect farmers.
“The deployment has enabled several farmers’ access to their farms for a hitch-free planting season towards a bumper harvest,” he said.
Reacting to the development, a farmer and founder of Amicable Mondial Farm in Ogun State, Amaka Chukwudum, said the military protecting farmers was a welcome idea but said the initiative should not be limited to the North alone as farmers in other regions of the country were also grappling with insecurity.
She said: “It is shocking and sad to hear this because people under my cooperative who are based in Akure, Ondo State are also being attacked and killed by herders in their farms. But I think the government may still be considering replicating the initiative in the South and other parts of the country. The truth is that Northern farmers are facing serious crisis.
“For instance, I had to abandon my 10 acres of yam farm in Benue State because of insecurity and the money I invested there was a waste. So, I believe they are starting from the North due to the critical nature of the crisis in that region.”
In his reaction, the Coordinator of International Trade for Livestock and Aquaculture, Temitope Oluwadipe, lauded the decision but insisted that it should be spread across the 36 states of the country as farmers in other states are equally encountering attacks from herders.
For Mr. Greg Nwamadi, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Goldridge BioAgro Ltd, “There is no doubt that insecurity has threatened food security in the country. While looking at how it affects farmers in the North, it is only fair that the government’s action to curb insecurity is not limited to the North alone. Just as bandits frustrate farmers in the northern states, armed Fulani herdsmen and kidnappers also frustrate farmers in the South. If soldiers are being deployed to protect farmers in the North, the government should also deploy soldiers to protect farmers in the South from armed Fulani herders.
But, the military, yesterday, explained the reasons behind the deployment of soldiers to protect farmers in the Northern part of the country.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Buba in a telephone chat with Daily Sun said the military is deploying soldiers to protect farmers in the north because the region is more affected by terrorism than the south.
He said: “The north is most affected by the issue of terrorist denying farmers access to the farm. Such issues are not prominent in the South.” General Buba spoke following an earlier statement that military has deployed troops in several northern states, to protect farmers, and the resultant complaints by farmers from other parts of the country outside the north.
The action by the military came as Nigeria battles food shortages which have worsened the food inflation put at over 40 percent by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Nigeria’s inflation figure reached a new high, hitting 34.19 percent in June 2024 before declining to 33.40 percent in July, according to the data from Nigeria Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS’) Consumer Price Index.
