Rivers farmers protest herdsmen attacks

<p>Scores of farmers in the Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State have protested the alleged invasion of their farmlands and attacks by suspected herdsmen.</p>, <p>The aggrieved farmers who stormed Sakpenwa, the council headquarters, on Tuesday, said their crops were being repeatedly destroyed by the herders.</p>, <p>The protesting farmers are from Gbakee, Ken-koro and Knani-na communities in the local government.</p>, <p>The leader of the protesters, Success Barine, while speaking to journalists, said many farmers had fled due to the herders’ attacks.</p>, <p>While noting that they attacked a woman and collected her farm produce, Barine appealed to the council authorities to come to their aid.</p>, <p>She said, “This woman went to the farm to harvest cassava, not knowing that these people (herdsmen) were hiding in the bush.</p>, <p>“They came out with guns, chased the women, collected all the cassava she harvested and gave them to their cows.</p>, <p>“They told the woman that they will come back unexpectedly into the villages where the women live to attack them.</p>, <p>“Now our people are not safe and our women are in fear because of the statement and threats from them.”</p>, <p>Addressing the women, the local government’s Chairman, Mbakpone Okpe, promised to set up a task force comprising security agencies to arrest the perpetrators and ensure they are prosecuted.</p>, <p>Okpe said, “We are using this medium to appeal that owners of cattle in our area should go out of our land for peace to reign.</p>, <p>“They can’t use cows which they use for their survival to come and destroy our cassava and yam farms. As farmers, this is our means of survival</p>, <p>“Not only are they eating and destroying our crops, they are arming themselves and attacking people.”</p>, <p>He assured residents of the affected communities that some assistance will be given to the farmers to enable them to return to their farms.</p>, <p>Similarly, farmers in parts of Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state have raised the alarm over i