Plateau crisis: Farmers accuse herders of destroying crops in Plateau

Farmers in Ta-hoss village of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State have accused herders of destroying theicrops in the farms..

Farmers in Ta-hoss village of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State have accused herders of destroying theicrops in the farms in the areas.

They said the herders cut down unripe maize, Iris potatoes and cabbage among other crops.

The farmers who described the incident as a deliberate move to deny them their means of livelihood said the destruction of the farm crops was uncalled for, calling on the security agencies to take action on the matter.

Rwang Tengwong, National Publicity Secretary of Berom Youth Movement (BYM), while confirming the incident, told Daily Trust that the culprits invaded the farms on Friday night and destroyed crops of over 50 hectares of farmland, adding that the farmers had reported the incident to security agencies.

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He said “This is a deliberate destruction of over 50 hectares of farmland for maize, Irish potatoes, cabbage and other crops by militias at Ta-hoss village of Riyom on Friday night. The villagers woke up on Saturday morning and saw their farmland completely destroyed.”

Garba Abdullahi, state Chairman of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association (GAFDAN), a Fulani socio-cultural group, denied the allegation.

He said “This is a crime that can be perpetrated by anybody. How can they accuse us with any investigation on the matter? We are peace loving people. Fulani should not be accused of any criminal activity in the area.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, DSP Alabo Alfred, didn’t respond to the inquiry by our correspondent.

In recent time, more than 200 people were killed in the state with both farmers and herders trading blame over the atrocities.