BENUE: Farmers in panic, raise alarm over armed herdsmen grazing cows nearby

An alarm has been raised by farmers in Guma, GwerWest and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State after sighting armed herdsmen and their cows around their community.

According to the farmers, many of the herdsmen were making attempts to cross over from Benue-Nasarawa states’ borders into their communities seeking greenery for their cows to graze on.

A displaced farmer Mr Atsar Mnsoor who is now taking refuge at the IDP camp in Abagena, said he recently went back 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.

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He 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.”

Mnsoor also added that; “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.”

Recall recently that the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, while speaking at St Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor-Mbalom community in the Gwer East Local Government Area alerted the people and security agencies to the influx of herdsmen and their cows into parts of the state.

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