The All Farmers Association of Nigeria(AFAN), Zamfara State chapter, has disclosed that Farmers are expected to meet leaders of bandits in the state on Saturday (today) to discuss their protection and allow them to farm.
The AFAN Public Relations Officer, Abdulhafiz Alkali, who disclosed this to newsmen, decried the failure of the Federal Government to provide security.
His words; “I know that there will be a meeting by this coming Saturday between the farmers and the bandits. What I know about protection with the farmers is just the negotiation between the bandits and the farmers.
“I am living in Zamfara State now. We have lost a lot of things in the State. We sent letters to the Federal Government to secure us five years ago after complaining that the bandits were disturbing us.
“We needed the intervention of the Federal Government but it never came. What we lost in the past seven to six years is between N30bn to N50bn on commodities only.
“Many people from different countries and states used to come to the Dansadua axis to buy commodities to the tune of over N50b in a year, but now, in a year, we get less than N2bn to N3bn.
“In Zamfara State, the commodities business was worth over N200bn to N300bn, but these bandits interrupted the business. We wrote letters, we complained, but up till now, no response from the Federal Government”, he said.
When Contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) Muhammed Shehu said he was not aware of the meeting.
“Am not aware that farmers are meeting bandits. But all I know is that the police in collaboration with the military have taken security measures to save guard farmlands to ensure farmers go to their farmlands and farm without any attack, without any threat from bandits.
“That is why the farmers are currently able to go to their farms. So, we are working tirelessly with other security agencies and vigilantes”, he stated.
