Farmers under the aegis of Platform of Eastern Farmers’ Association have asked the Federal Government to pay them a compensation of N9bn for the destruction of their crops and farmlands by herdsmen.
The group fault the Federal Government for remaining mum over the silence and neglect of the losses incurred by farmers over the rampaging activities of the herders and their cattle, which has been going on for years.
According to the group, the compensation was to mitigate losses.
“Since the advent of the Fulani herdsmen in the eastern region, the Federal Government has been paying lip service to the monumental destruction of our crops and farmland,” the group said.
Paul Achalla, the Group’s Coordinator and Secretary-General, Nneka Orji, signed the petition.
Part of the statement reads, “The Federal Government is only interested in securing herdsmen and paying compensation for their cattle without a thought to what they did to our farmlands.
“Our state governments pay compensations for cows killed by villagers.
“So far, we have lost over N9bn as a result of the activities of the herdsmen, and nobody is talking about it, and even when they promise to pay a token, there is no laid down parameter to actually ascertain the level of damage and its cost implications.
“We urge the governors’ forum in eastern Nigeria as well as the Ohaneze Ndigbo to look into our plight and make a strong statement and representation for us so that the Federal Government to pay us compensation of at least N9bn, which translates to N1bn per state that make up the old Eastern Region of Nigeria”.
