With Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu urging Nigerians to take more interest in agriculture amidst dire insecurity in the country, gunmen have killed one Internally Displaced Person (IDP) who was returning from a farm at Tse-Iyo village in Sengev Council Ward, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.
Oluremi Tinubu who said agriculture still held the key to bettering the lot of citizens noted that the various interventions of the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, especially in the areas of Agriculture, Empowerment, Education, Health and Social Welfare are to complement the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Between March and June over 165 farmers lost their lives to attacks by bandits, who have hindered access to farms across the country, findings by The PUNCH have shown.
Farmers in Benue, Sokoto, Niger, Plateau, and other states, in separate interviews with our correspondents on Tuesday, lamented that they did not only lose crops to the rampaging bandits but many of their colleagues were also killed by the hoodlums. They added that they had abandoned their farms following the rising attacks by the bandits.
Out of the over 165 farmers killed this year, the highest number was recorded in Benue State, where 130 of them were killed by the bandits.
A former camp manager of Agagbe IDPs’ camp in Gwer West LGA, Ibaah Jacob, told the Daily Trust that the incident happened on Sunday evening, July 14, 2024, while the deceased and other IDPs were returning from their farms.
He said the victim, Ikyumbu Aondowase, 30, was shot by the attackers who accosted him alongside others on the way, killing him on the spot while the others escaped with bullet wounds.
“Yesterday, July 14, 2024, armed men successfully attacked and killed Mr Ikyumbu Aondowase, 30. Mr Achin Terzungwe, 45, was one of those wounded badly during the attack and was rushed to Naka Hospital for treatment,” he said.
“Others however escaped according to the eyewitness report we got. They had taken the path that leads to Tse-Iorbogo while coming back from farms unknown to them the gunmen had already laid an ambush on the bad spot of the road
“On reaching the spot, the attackers started shooting at them and Aondoawase was k!lled immediately. Others like Terzungwe who was badly wounded escaped. However, five people among them are still missing.”
Last month, residents of Torough community in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State say they are now selling their farm produce to raise N20m tax imposed on them by bandits.
According to them, the bandits have threatened to attack their community if they fail to pay the N20m on time.
PUNCH reported that as a result of the threat, each resident has been levied N50,000 to raise the N20m.
Months ago, the Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) said herders have taken over the administration of fishing and agrarian communities and were levying taxes on the people of Kogi State while sacking them from their farmlands and fishing grounds.
The group while briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday said the herders were equally expanding their control to other communities, thereby creating unrest and displacement of people.
KECS chairman, Sule Iyaji, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the security situation, particularly in Omala and Dekina local government areas and other parts of Kogi State.
He said the urgent intervention of the president would prevent bloodshed and recourse to self-help by the populace.
