Recall how farmers and residents in several communities in the north of the country said they had been paying levies and taxes to alleged bandits to avoid being attacked by the hoodlums.

According to the farmers, who spoke on behalf of the Zamfara State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, their meeting with the bandits was scheduled to take place on Saturday (today).

AFAN Public Relations Officer, Abdulhafiz Alkali, on Thursday, lamented that the Federal Government seemed to have abandoned them to their fate and jettisoned any idea of providing security for farmers.

He said, “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. I know that there will be a meeting by this coming Saturday between the farmers and the bandits.

“We lost a lot of things in Zamfara 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.”

Speaking further on the backdrop of the recent query of the House of Representatives on the N18.9b COVID-19 agriculture project spent by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Alkali said government had not been carrying AFAN along in its recent agriculture project.

Alkali further stated that arrangements were in top gear by the association to meet with the Ministry of Agriculture to get clarity on the matter.

“We need between 3,000 and 5,000 (parcels of) arable land, most especially in the North and South-South. For now, there has been no communication between us and the ministry. No member of the All Farmers Association knows about these projects.”

Recall that the House of Representatives Committee on Public Account was recently summoned for an audit inquiry and warrant regarding the ministry.

The Nigerian Young Farmers Network disclosed that they were not included in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s COVID-19 lockdown programmes, where N18.9 billion was spent.

Promise Amamah, the YFA’s director general, claimed that none of the organization’s members had benefited from the COVID-19 government initiative.

He bemoaned the fact that not only was the Nigerian agricultural industry underfunded, but it was also prone to favouritism.

Meanwhile the Zamfara State Police command through its spokesperson, Muhammed Shehu said he is unaware of the development.

He said, “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.”