Ekiti community alleges herders destroy N50m farm, hoist flag

Residents of Orin Ekiti in the Ido/Osi Local Government Area of
Ekiti State on Wednesday protested alleged plot by suspected
herdsmen to take over their community.

The placard-carrying protesting men and women, old and young
Orin Ekiti indigenes, lamented that the invading herdsmen had
allegedly vandalised farms worth N50m owned by 70 farmers.

Among inscriptions on the placards are, ‘Save Orin Ekiti from
herdsmen invasion’, ‘Save our lives, we are in danger in Orin
Ekiti’, ‘We are tired of molestation by herdsmen’, ‘We won’t allow
Fulani to chase us from our land’ and ‘Government must relocate
Fulani herdsmen’, among others.

The Onikare of Orin Ekiti, Chief Bamidele Fasuyi, alleged that
the herdsmen, in addition to the occupation of the Orin Farm
Settlement, which he said comprised over 2,500 acres of land, had
destroyed crops planted there by farmers in the community.

Fasuyi said, “From our records, over 70 farmers were affected.
Crops worth N50m have been ravaged. They ate up their products like
cocoyam, yam, cassava and others and made them to incur debts.

“Several hectares of land had been destroyed. They operate at
night with AK 47 rifles. What they want is to invade our land and
chase us away. They even killed one of our able bodied men this
year. They are imposing some curfew in this town, because our
youths can’t go to farm freely and government has not been doing
something.

“We appeal to government to use the 2500 acres of land in the
abandoned farm settlement for farming. The state and federal
government as well as private bodies should come to our aid. There
are facilities like electricity, buildings and equipment that can
aid farming if they want to invest,” Fasuyi said.

Also addressing journalists, the Oniwaro of Orin Ekiti, Chief
Mathew Oke, appealed to the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, to
make good his promise to build a police station in the town and
rejuvenate the farm settlement to ward off herdsmen invasion in the
area.

According to residents, the herders allegedly killed a hunter
and farmer in the community, Mr Emmanuel Ilori, some months ago and
as well chased away the Benue farmers working in the town.

A youth leader, Mr Kayode Omotoso, appealed to the state
governor to compensate the farmers in order not to frustrate them
out of farming.

Omotoso alleged that the herders were not discreet with their
plan to take over the community and its lands, saying they had
allegedly hoisted a flag at the farm settlement to warn the farmers
to keep off or face death.

He said, “They wrote ‘keep off’ with a picture of cattle rearer
on the flag. This is a serious threat. The police, the Nigerian
Security and Civil Defence Corps and soldiers removed the flag last
year, but they have hoisted another one.

“We guard at night to ward off attacks because the police have
found it difficult to arrest them. Our graduates who have no jobs
are going into farming, but they are suffering losses because of
destruction by cows.

“We appeal to Governor Fayemi to relocate them. They must vacate
the place. From our findings, they access this place through
neighbouring towns like Isan, Ayede, and Ido. If not checked, there
will be famine in the land with the way things are going.”