The Delta State government has said it is interfacing with the Traditional Rulers Council of the state to tackle the issue of rampaging herdsmen.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Kingsley Emu disclosed this during an enlarged meeting with farmers across the state in Asaba, maintaining that no person can occupy any land without the consent of the landowner and traditional rulers.
He said the state government is also considering plans to create farm clusters across the three senatorial districts in the state manned by farm rangers to secure these farmlands and protect farmers from rampaging herdsmen.
While promising to ensure both dry and wet-season farming, he warned landowners and traditional rulers not to lease lands out to questionable individuals because of money.
“The issue of herdsmen and security of our farmlands is not just a concern to us as a state, it is also a national issue,” Emu stated.
The SSG further revealed plans by the state government to distribute 12,000 bags of fertilisers to farmers in the state.
He said the move was to improve food security across the state, and to encourage the farming population.
According to Emu, the bags of fertilisers which was delivered from Kaduna State, would be distributed to strategic farming groups as recommended by the Agricultural and Palliative Committees of the state, owing to the quantity of the fertilisers available.
In his remarks, the commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Barr. Val Arenyeka, thanked the farmers for creating time for the meeting to interface with the government, just as he assured them that the impact of the meeting would be felt by them.
