Farmer Cries Out, Seeks Govt Intervention as Cattle Destroy 4 Plots of Sorghum Farm in Uzo Uwani

Uzo Uwani Farmer Cries Out As Cattle Destroy Big Sorghum Farm
Pleads for urgent govt intervention

By Olisemeka Sony

A notable farmer in Opanda in the Uzo Uwani local government area of Enugu state, Mr Ugochukwu Amaechina, has pleaded with the governor of Enugu state, Mr Peter Mba, and the federal government to take urgent security action to stop the rampaging herdsmen who, daily, mindlessly wreak havoc on farmlands in Uzo Uwani local government area of the state.
Amaechina made the plea after yet-to-be identified cattlemen herded their cattle into his farmland where they grazed and damaged his crops.

The high profile sorghum farmer, under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase One (ATASP-1), said he lost the sorghum and maize crops he planted in over four plots of his farmland following that invasion of his farm by the herders and their cattle.

In Amaechina’s words, as he spoke to our correspondent, “herdsmen have destroyed my farm of over 4 plots. Three of these plots had sorghum exclusively planted in them while the fourth plot had a mixture of sorghum and maize. They destroyed the farmland beyond salvation.”

“I feel so devastated because what they destroyed was a well developed farmland that I am trying to expand as part of the ATASP-1 efforts to promote sorghum cultivation in the drive to boost food and nutrition. ATASP-1 management had inspected the farm and approved it as one of the demonstration sorghum farms in Adani-Omor Zone. It is really a big setback that herdsmen have ruined the project being sponsored by the federal government and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

He lamented that a steadily increasing number of farmers were fleeing the area due to heightened attacks by the herdsmen. He said further: “the problem we have is that Fulani herdsmen don’t allow us carry out our legitimate farming activities in the area. I had earlier gone for peace talks with them at their mosque, just to enable us farm, and they gave me their word that they will not destroy my farm. Based on their assurance, I went to work and, two months after, when the crops had grown, they led their cattle into my farm, clearing the whole crops.

The farmer lamented that he lost over six (6) million naira on the farmland. “I am begging the government to help us because we do not feel (and it is no longer) safe for us to carry out our legitimate business. There is the need for the government to come up with an urgent security solution between farmers and Fulani herdsmen so as to avoid wanton destruction of crops and even human lives.
The most painful aspect is that even when you meet them destroying your farm, you cannot drive them away because they are fully armed with AK-47 rifles with which they can kill anyone trying to stop them, and, painfully, without consequence. They have killed some people in the area about which nothing was done by anybody. So many people are relocating from the area because of this ugly development.”

Amaechina predicted that famine was underway in Uzo-Uwani local government area and the state because of the impact of the herders’ activities on farming activities. “Hunger is coming because all the yam farms, cassava farms, sorghum and maize farms in the area have been destroyed by roving cattle. Their action is so wicked and deliberate that they would get the cattle to march through farms for cocoyam, garden egg and pepper (which the cattle do not usually feed on) just to ensure that these are damaged and our efforts and investments wasted.
“We are actually helpless at this moment. Our prayer and hope is that the Enugu state and federal governments would come quickly to address the crisis because Uzo-Uwani is an important food production area that would soon become deserted, if this situation is allowed to continue.

I suffered a monumental loss

“I inherited the farmland from my father and I am trying to develop it as much as I can through the laudable ATASP-1 initiative of the federal government of Nigeria and the AfDB.”

The obviously distraught Amaechina, in lamentation, called for urgent government intervention to avert further destruction of crops in the area.