A farmer, Daniel Anavhe has raised alarm over the recurring attacks on farmers and their farms in the South West by suspected notorious herdsmen .
Anavhe raised the alarm over his recent attack on his farm in Owode area of Ogun state in Nigeria by the suspected herdsmen for a second time destroying his farm and reportedly killed one of his workers.
Speaking with journalists, he said the first attack on his farm by the herdsmen was in April this year, when they ravaged the farm and kidnapped his son, Okhai Anavhe, and that the herdsmen collected ransom before the release of the victim.
Emphasising that the menace of kidnapping and violence is becoming alarming on a daily basis in Nigeria with the government seemingly helpless, “people live in fear and anguish,” Anavhe said, “I am devastated.”
“My farm was overrun by suspected Fulani herdsmen and in the process one of my farm workers was killed. This is the second time my farm would be attacked by these notorious Herdsmen. During the first attack, my son was kidnapped and I had to pay a huge ransom before he was released,” he said.
Anavhe added, “I have been embroiled in heated battles with the Fulani herdsmen who always bring down the fence of my farmland and forcefully bring their cows to graze there.”
Disclosing that he fled the farm following threats on his life by the herdsmen, Anavhe stated that the latest attack was last week when the hoodlums set his farm ablaze and severely injured the security guard in the farm.
According to him, he started the farm about three years ago and was already trying to recoup his investment when the herdsmen attacked his farm and through their action, many of his customers who witnessed the first attack and escaped are no longer interested in coming back for business, adding that he had to involve the security personnel especially the Police, which led to the arrest of some of the suspects.
“The last petition I wrote led to the arrest of some of the herdsmen when they encroached into my land again and the youth of my area seeing that the Police had arrested them decided to celebrate the arrest and some of the herdsmen’s cows got missing in the process, and this worsened the situation,” he explained.
Anavhe maintained that with the arrest, the herdsmen members have resorted to threats to kill him anywhere they can find him, hence he had to run for safety.
While pleading with both the federal and state governments to address the menace of herdsmen attacks, he lamented that “it is worrisome that recurring attacks by the Fulani Herdsmen have claimed many lives, mostly farmers and the government seems helpless.”