Reps ask FG to prevent killings of peasant farmers

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the federal government to stop the killing of peasant farmers across the country and provide adequate security to enable them harvest their crops without fear of attacks by insurgents or bandits.
The House equally demanded that the Agro Rangers under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) should be activated to protect famers during harvest nationwide.
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 on Tuesday.
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 being 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.
“This not only leads to financial losses for the farmers but also exacerbates the food insecurity situation in our constituency and the country as a whole.
“The killing of peasant farmers goes beyond a local issue and has broader implications for national security, as it directly impacts our food production and the stability of our nation.
“It is imperative that we prioritise the safety of our farmers, who toil day and night to provide food for our nation, and create an enabling environment for them to carry out their agricultural activities without fear or hindrance,” Jaha said.