Gombe farmers keep vigil in farms over impending herdsmen attack

Farmers in Gombe state have in the past few weeks been keeping vigil in their farms because of rumours of herdsmen attacks.

Farmers especially in Kupto and Lalopido farmers, who majorly are women, were informed of the impending herdsmen attacks has been working round the clock to harvest their crops.

A woman farmers, who craved for anonymity told Blueprint that the herdsmen were coming on a reprisal attack because of the killing of one of their own last year.

“Just like I said yesterday this issue cannot be over emphasis, due to last year attack, some Fulani’s were killed, this people don’t farm but once it is time for harvest you see them entering people’s farms with their cattle.

“News reaching us now from communities like Kupto and Lalopido, there is insecurity, especially for the female farmers, the fear of herdsmen and thieves makes our women to work throughout the night and some of them end up spending the night in their farms,so as to gather their farm produce before any attack, you can imagine the risk this women take just to make sure there is food on the table.

“The farmers in kupto village got the information about the herdsmen that they are coming to attack due to the Fulani killing last year, and they have decided to provide security for themselves, it is sad to know that security agents and the government are silent over such issues.

She said the government has turned a deaf ear to the plight of the farmers hence farmers have taken it upon themselves to protect themselves.

“This issue of herdsmen and insecurity especially in the southern part of Gombe State that is a christian dominated area, the government only talk about it but no concrete measure is been taken, everyday has its own story.”

Narrating her encounter with some women farmers, she said: “Today I was opportune to conduct an exam for some set of women from the rural area who had successfully gone through our various skill acquisition training, one of the women from Banguji under Shogom LGA were in a hurry to return to the village, when I tried to find out what was wrong, her response was that the herdsmen have entered their farm and her husband wasn’t fit enough to go to the farm because he is sick, I had to release her,” she said.

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