One of the farms destroyed in Bel-Sho
By M. Peter, Jos
Renewed incidences of destruction of grown crops have resurfaced in communities across local government areas in Plateau State, thereby raising concern about looming food crisis in the areas.
From Jos South, Bassa, Riyom, Barkin Ladi to Mangu, farmers have continued to report what appears to be malicious damages of hundreds of hectares of grown crops by cows purposely released on these farms.
Some concerned herders have frowned at the recurring trend, describing those involved in the act as “enemies of peace” and in some instances where perpetrators are known, they are arrested and handed over to security agents. Nothing much has come out of such arrest except some occasional compensation which does not really pay for the damages done.
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The latest incident in Bel-Sho village of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the State which occurred on Monday has left the victims counting their losses as one of the affected farmers, Gwong Elisha said the incident has left him in debt.
He narrated that sometime in February, 2020, the villagers who had to return from different IDP camps having been displaced earlier by armed men, began clearing their farms but on arriving his 1.2hctr farm at about 6am on Monday for weeding, he was shocked to find his grown maize, beneseed, water melon and soy beans completely mowed down.
The father of five stated, “I am still to recover from the shock. It was my only hope for food and family welfare including the education of my children. The little I save from tin mining is what I shove into the farm, paying for labour, fertilizer, pesticides and other farm inputs, but now all that has been taken from me.”
Another victim, Pam Dachollom, whose over 1hctr maize farm was mowed, added, “I had borrowed grains to feed my family when we ran out of food in the house during the Coronavirus lockdown. I was hoping to repay after harvest, but see where I am.”
Emmanuel Dalyop, who said he was warned by herdsmen not to enter his (Dalyop’s) farm again stressed, “They terrorized us for years until we vacated the distant farms but they still told me that they warned us to stay off but we wouldn’t listen, for that reason they must kill me. They struck me on the leg with an axe and left me to bleed to death.”
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Some herders have visited the victims to commiserate with them and as one of the leaders of Fulani herdsmen in the village, Mr. Tambari Gizo, said the crimes are carried out by “enemies of peace” trying to “cause disharmony.”
According to him, “We that have been here with the natives for long have never had problems with them. It is people who are not happy with our peaceful coexistence that will do this to pitch us against one another.”
It would be recalled that about two weeks ago, about one hectare of already maturing maize farm belonging to a Pastor of the Church of Christ in Nations, Zakka Dalyop was nearly cut down in Sopp village of Riyom local government area. This was even as another hectare of maize farm belonging to one Sunday Goma was also leveled with cutlass in the same community the same night.
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Clement Pam, Labi Danjuma and Moses Goma have also suffered losses in the same community as their maize and guinea corn farms have been destroyed.
Goma stated, “This is war, a continuation of what they started in 2014, they have cut down our only income producing crops, ending our hopes for food and money for other household needs. We did not particularly see anyone doing it, but we have had several threats from herdsmen.
“Last few months, my brother, Sunday Goma had a quarrel with some of them and they told him that he should have been grateful they allowed him to harvest his crops last year. Earlier in the year as well, we went to till some of our farms that are a bit closer to their hamlets, which they built on forcefully acquired lands and they threatened us into withdrawing.
“Many other acts and utterances from them, coupled with previous farmland destructions here and in surrounding communities wherein herdsmen were caught red handed, have left us with little to believe they are not the ones that did it. We have reported these crimes to securities but often times they ask us to produce the suspects instead of them investigating.”
