Reps Ask Federal Govt To Stop Killing Of Peasant Farmers

The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to stop the killing of peasant farmers across the country and provide adequate security to enable them to harvest their crops without fear of attacks by insurgents or bandits.

The House demanded that the Agro Rangers under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) should be activated to protect farmers during harvest nationwide.

The NSCDC had said in July that it has over 10,000 personnel in the Agro Rangers Department ready to defend farmers against attacks.

The House’s resolutions followed the amendments to a motion of urgent public importance on: “The Need to Stop Killing of Peasant Farmers in Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Constituency and Provide Safe and Reliable Security for Farmers to Harvest Their Hard-Earned Farm Produce”, moved by Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) at plenary yesterday.

Moving the motion Jaha informed the House of the urgent and critical issue of the continuous killing of farmers in his constituency who work tirelessly to provide food for the nation, and facing grave threats to their lives, hindering their ability to harvest their hard-earned farm produce.

He said agriculture is the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and the main source of livelihood for the majority of the people, the attacks on the farmers will not only result in loss of lives but also severely disrupt food production, leading to food scarcity, increased prices, and economic instability in the constituency and the country.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the persistent insecurity in his constituency has created an environment of fear and uncertainty, discouraging farmers from cultivating their lands and leaving their hard-earned farm produce unharvested.

Adopting the motion, the House asked the federal government to provide financial assistance and support to affected farmers who have suffered losses due to attacks, to help them recover and sustain their agricultural activities.

It also asked the government to invest in infrastructure development, such as access roads, communication networks and rural electrification to improve the security and economic viability of the country.