Gombe farmers lament alleged destruction of farms by grazing cattle

Some farmers in Gombe State have lamented the alleged invasion of their farms by some herdsmen, turning their farmlands into grazing fields.

Some of the affected farmers are from Akko, Funakaye, Kaltungo and Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Areas of Gombe State.

The farmers while speaking in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Gombe expressed their frustrations and concerns on the increasing cases of cattle destroying farmlands.

Garba Deba, a cowpea farmer from Kuri community alleged that his farm which was ready for harvest in a couple of days was destroyed by cattle through over-night grazing.

Deba said he was frustrated and devastated by the situation in view of his huge investment.

He stated that he was not the only one affected in his community, noting that other farmers had similar experiences.

“It is very painful to see how good your farmland turned out to be and hoping to harvest and make good money only to come one morning and everything is gone.

“This is particularly worrisome because of the cost of inputs and agrochemicals bought to cultivate the farms and you have nothing to show, this is sad,” he said.

For Ibrahim Aliyu in Bajoga, it is a sad story that must be addressed once and for all, saying “we cannot continue like this.

“There must be respect for people’s sources of livelihoods and that should be the norm.

“If I cannot kill anyone’s cow, why will anyone take his cows to eat my crops? As the cows are to the herders that is how my crops are to me,” Aliyu lamented.

Usman Kumo, another farmer from Kumo community said that his beans farm was destroyed allegedly by herders who took their cows to his farmlands and destroyed “almost everything on my farm.

“I was anticipating about five bags of beans but I only got two big paint rubbers, how do I cope with that looking at how much I invested,” he queried.

Nasir Baba, another farmer from Kaltungo urged the state government to go round affected villages and collate names of farmers whose farmlands were grazed and find a way of compensating them.

He stated that some farmers were already angry and tension is high.

Baba also urged the security agencies to deploy some personnel to farmlands to monitor harvesting activities and prevent possible clash.

However, in a press statement on Wednesday, Hayatu Usman, the Commissioner of Police in Gombe State directed improved visibility patrols and stakeholders’ engagement as proactive measures to avert farmers/herders clashes.

The statement was issued to journalists in Gombe by ASP Buhari Abdullahi, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state.

Usman said the directive for officers of the command to engage relevant stakeholders was in view of the role of non-kinetic strategies in mitigating the conflict between farmers and herders.

He stated that a lot of engagements and sensitisations were already being carried out at the state level on the need for all stakeholders to embrace peace and maintain the prevailing peace in the state.

“In the event of encroachment, the command advises members of the general public to embrace dialogue, avoid confrontation and report immediately to relevant authorities for necessary action,” he said.