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RISK OF HUNGER LOOMS IN CHILDREN OF AFFECTED FARMERS IN RIYOM

At exact location where 9 farms were mowed down in Nod area of Byei village in Riyom LGA, there is, again, a fresh mischievous grazing and crops mowed down perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen with herds of Cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen among whom is Ardo Mamud Adams of Rankum (Mahanga) of Jol Community.

The incident which is said to have been occasioned on Sunday, 11th April, 2021, was accompanied with attack on 2 of the farmers who were guarding their crops against such destruction while church service was ongoing.

On-spot assessment reveals that, Mr. Emmanuel Davou (37) with his younger one, Samuel Davou (10) narrowly escaped assault posed to them by the herdsmen. “Our farmed crops have always been grazed on and also mowed down by Fulani and their cows. That’s why we couldn’t go to Church so that we can keep a watch against their ceaseless destruction. While we keep the watch, Cows were pushed into 4 Maize farms and shockingly, some of the herders started cutting down Sugar-Cane,” said Emmanuel. ” I asked them to stop such act, and instead of desisting, they filed out their swords and cutlasses threateningly. They could not get at me, for I ran screamingly for intervention by Sunday-worshippers who immediately came and rescued me,’ he said. Emmanuel has 6 children , aged parents as well as younger siblings who solely depend on him but now, the lone means of livelihood has been destroyed, leaving him in pathetic lifestyle with nothing to offer his family. Other 5 affected farmers hailed from the same village have more than 32 children to suffer similar fate.

In the same vein, Jol Community of Riyom LGA also found itself in another heart aching mischievous grazing by Fulani herdsmen between 11th-13th April, 2021. The affected farmers include-

  1. Mrs. Dinatu Samuel; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  2. Mr. Samuel Pam; Potatoes, Green-Beans and Maize, Tomatoes and Jot Pepper.
  3. Mr. Dachollom Iliya.
  4. Mr. Gyang Mwantiri; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  5. Mrs. Nvou Dachollom; Maize, Hot Pepper and Sweet Potatoes
  6. Mr. Yakubu Bwede; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  7. Mr. Dachollom Bwede; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  8. Mrs. Mary Sunday; Maize
  9. Mr. Elisha Dalyop; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  10. Mrs. Briskila Thomas; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  11. Mr. Joseph Sunday;Chilly Pepper, Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes and Maize.
  12. Mr. Joseph Philibus; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  13. Mr. Stephen B Jugu; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes and Maize.
  14. Mr. Danjuma Danbwarang; Hot Pepper, Sweet Potatoes, Chilly Pepper and Maize.
    The above names have total number of 58 children to cater for but all their hope has faded off like a mirage. Mr. Stephen B. Jugu lamented what has become of all the affected farmers. He said, “we are all agrarians and have no their way of fending for our families in all domestic front except through farming which helps us sponsoring children and younger ones to school, provide their basic need, but sadists have taken us a back” with attendant poverty and potency of starvations in this year. “We don’t know what to do next except to solicit for intervention by all concerned persons to come to our aid so that we can feed the children and take take of other need, too,” he appeals.

Following the previous happenings in Plateau State, mowing down of farmed crops and mischievous grazing have always preceded terror attacks on native villages. Thus, ECCVN hereby calls on security agents to, as a matter of urgent public importance, take into consideration the early warning indices so that the ominous terror attacks are nip in the buds before its resurgence in this period COVID-19 pandemic.

Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq.
Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria-ECCVN