*Insecurity in Sankera, Ado forest spells doom for farmers

*Govt declares dusk to dawn curfew in axis, bans use of motorbikes

*Bandits use forests for kidnapping, robberies

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Food shortage looms. Benue State reputed as Nigeria’s food basket may be heading into another vortex of crisis. And this could spell doom for many Nigerians who depend on foodstuff flowing from the state into their markets on a daily basis.

This looming crisis is predicated on the unceasing attacks by armed gangs on local farmers,  particularly bandits operating along the Sankera axis of the state also known as the ‘food basket’ of Benue.

The area comprising Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo LGAs in the North East district of the state, are known for the production of over 90 percent of the yam tubers cultivated in the state.

The attacks have become so brazen and unceasing that the state government recently declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the axis. This was after banning the use of motorbikes as part of measures to curb the increasing wave of banditry, kidnappings, killings and general criminality in that part of the state.

Excitedly, the decision of government with the firm support of the military spike operation codenamed “Operation Whirl Stroke”, OPWS, has to a large extent restored peace to the volatile area.

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Ado LGA in the southern district of the state is also facing similar attacks. This is an area of the state that is well known for  the production of cassava, garri and allied starchy products. Arewa Voice gathered that the herdsmen have not only taken over but have also converted the area to their ‘safe haven’, especially at Adiga, a forested community bordering Ado and Okpokwu LGAs from where they frequently unleash attacks on their victims.

Reports have it that the bandits also use the forest as a rallying point for all forms of nefarious activities, including inter and intra state kidnappings and robberies aside grazing and destroying the huge cassava farms that dot the communities in Ado LGA.

It was gathered that activities of the bandits have adversely affected businesses at the weekly Orijo Market in Ado LGA which remains one of the biggest in the state where traders from all parts of the country throng to make purchases.

Regrettably, the security situation in these two important axes of the state has left the state to face the prospects of massive food shortages with its attendant consequences on the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.

Narrating the ordeal of farmers in the community, a cassava farmer, Mr. Ide Obande, recalled that in the past Fulani herders and citizens of the area were the best of friends but wondered what has suddenly brought the skirmishes.

Obande said: “They lived in our communities, spoke our language, inter-married and grazed freely but our farms were not destroyed. We also had no conflicts of any kind with them until recently when some strange ones started moving into our communities. They eventually took over Adiga forest from where they attack, kidnap and perpetrate all sorts of crimes against our people besides destroying our yam and cassava farms.

“Though the recent deployment of personnel of the military of operation, Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, to Ado has to a large extent helped to check their activities, our people are still scared because the people have taken over the Adiga forest from where they operate and whenever they see the military on patrol they disappear into the forest.

“Today we hardly can produce garri to feed our families let alone sell to traders from outside the state because our cassava farms have become the feed field for their cattle.”

Speaking on the issue and the looming food shortages in the area and state in general, Chairman of Ado LGA, Chief James Oche, said the people hardly go to farm for fear of being killed by the bandits.

Oche said: “They actually have a base somewhere in Adiga, a place located between Ado and Okpokwu LGAs. They move there openly with their AK-47 rifles. It is from there that they attack our communities. Right now, in the six affected wards we no longer farm crops like cassava, yam and the rest, because if you farm they bring their cattle to eat up anything they find in the farms. The only thing they do not eat is water-yam.

“When they invade farms any women they meet in the farms are also raped. So famine is going to be real in the days and months ahead. The only available area our people can safely farm now is the stretch of land heading towards Otukpo because others are no longer very safe.

“Though the military came in to help and they are doing their very best but the place the people are located is not easily accessible. It requires a special operation.

“In fact, that forest which is also called new Sambisa forest is being used as a base or hideout where they take kidnap victims from neighbouring states to. Before now it was so bad that you cannot easily walk on the streets of Ado. But the presence of the military has helped to reduce their activities and it has given our people some sense of security unlike the situation in the past.

“We hear that they are saying that since Benue has outlawed open grazing they have resorted to kidnappings and other crimes to make quick money. So they even invited their people from the far North to join them and they are all based in Adiga Forest.”

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Speaking on the situation in Sankera axis, the Chairman of Ukum LGA, Steven Ayua, said the security situation in the axis went out of control recently.

Ayua said: “The security situation in Sankera hit the roof and was quite bad because most of the bandits knowing that security was after them and knowing that their days were numbered resolved that they won’t go down alone but drag other people down as well.

“So the spate of killings and robberies, kidnappings, raping and others went back to a very high rate leaving us with many security challenges. When I took over I had been engaging these people. I looked for them, talked with them and somehow things got better but after then, security collapsed again.”

Ayua who commended the state government for the action taken so far to restore normalcy in the axis said the state of insecurity in the affected areas was adversely affecting the food production since people were scared of going to their farms for fear of being attacked.

He noted: “Apart from adversely affecting food production, traders who come from far and near particularly from all parts of the country to buy our yam no longer feel secure, hence discouraged from coming here to do business.”

He said the implication was that government was not only losing revenue, farmers and business owners were also operating in fear.

While commending government for placing embargo on the use of motorbikes in the axis, the chairman said with the assistance of military and security personnel in the axis had not witnessed major security incidents recently. He, however, appealed to local stakeholders to “key into the resolve of the government to ensure that normalcy returned to axis of Benue regard as the food basket of the state.”

Vanguard News Nigeria