Some persons suspected to be herdsmen have attacked Kwi and Jol communities in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, destroying farmlands worth over N1 billion.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday night, left several farmers in anger and despair as they counted their losses.
A resident of Jol community, Gyang Moses, whose hectares of maize farm was destroyed, wept uncontrollably when he saw the level of destruction on his crops.
Moses said, “This is heartless, how can people use cutlass to cut down maize that will feed the entire nation?
“I can’t comprehend the idea behind this. Our people need help, government must be swift in taking action to assist these poor communities to avert impending famine.”
Reacting to the incident, Timothy Dantong, who represents Riyom Constituency in the State House of Assembly, urged the government to arrest those behind the evil act.
Dantong said “Two days back, Fulani militia invaded my constituency and destroyed farmlands with crops, this has been the reason why we have had crises in the past.
“The agenda of the militia is to take over lands that belong to the natives and that is our major concern and we appreciate the State Government for coming up with a bill that seeks to prevent land grabbing in the state and unless we have an enforcement agency that will enforce these laws, our efforts as Government is useless.”
“Right now the people in the grassroots have not felt the impact of that law. We have over 60 villages that have been taken over forcefully and the perpetrators are having a filled day, something urgent needs to be done.”
The Lawmaker appealed to the State Government to come to the aid of the communities as the attack is capable of throwing the villagers into severe famine.
He said, “As we speak, the cost of the destruction cannot be ascertained because the data is being collated; but I can tell you it’s worth a billion.”
