Fear grips farmers as herdsmen’s cows graze around Benue communities

Some farmers and residents of some communities in Guma, GwerWest and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State have raised the alarm over the influx of Fulani herdsmen with their cows into their areas.

Many others were said to be making attempts to cross over from Benue-Nasarawa states’ borders into their communities for open grazing.

A number of farmers in the areas, who have fled their homes and farms, are still taking refuge at various Internally Displaced Persons camps in the state following frequent attacks by the herdsmen on the farming communities in the state.

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, recently alerted  the people and security agencies to the influx of herdsmen and their cows into parts of the state.

The governor spoke at St Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor-Mbalom community in the Gwer East Local Government Area during the rite of atonement and purification of Mbalom in honour of two Catholic priests and 17 other parishioners who were killed in April this year.

A displaced farmer currently taking refuge at the IDP camp in Abagena, Mr Atsar Mnsoor, who spoke to our correspondent in Makurdi, said he decided to leave the camp to his village to see if he could return home with his family to engage in dry season farming only to see thousands of cows around the area advancing from Nasarawa State to his land.

Mnsoor said, “I normally grow cassava and guinea corn during dry season and this is the period we start the preparation. So, I went to the area thinking l could do it now after l lost over N2m worth of harvested crops last year due to the attacks. I was astonished to see herdsmen around the area again.

“My community was attacked early January by herdsmen. After killing several people, they razed our homes, farms, food barns and warehouses where we usually stocked our produce for sale to traders.”

The farmer added, “From all indications, even if we return to our communities today, it could take us another two to three years to be able to reorganise our farms. And these marauders are still seen within our community.”

Another farmer from Tser Jooji in the Gwer West LGA of the state, Mrs Sewuseer Anume, said if not for the presence of the troops of Operation Whirl Stroke stationed around the area, herdsmen could have overrun their community because they were already milling around the area.

She stated, “For the past 11 months, we have abandoned our home. But just this month, we went home only to see Fulani herdsmen in the area again and immediately we saw them, we reported the matter to the OPWS who came to flush them out.

 “I’m pleading with the Federal Government to address the issue of herdsmen coming into Benue to avert another round of killings.”

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