In Plateau state, the Fadama Community Association of Fadama III has alerted of impending food crisis in the state following the continued attacks on some communities in the state.
Mr Manasseh Watyil, the apex Chairman of the association, said in Jos that the Fadama III projects in the areas have suffered setbacks as a result of the continued attacks.
Watyil lamented that the association had lost many of its members particularly in Bachit, Jol and Gashish and had led to great losses to the progress of the programme to reducing poverty in the state.
“Our members have lost their lives and most of their sub-projects have suffered setbacks in Bachit, Jol and Gashish Fadama Communities Associations. Most of the people killed in Gashish, Jol and Bachit are members of fadama farmers.
“This have constituted great losses to the third national fadama programme which would have gone a long way in reducing poverty to the barest minimum among the beneficiaries and the benefitting communities.”
The Chairman regretted that the farmers were now scared to go to their farms since the commencement of this year’s farming season as they were being killed on the farms.
According to him, the crops harvested by the farmers have been burnt by the suspected Fulani herdsmen while those currently under cultivation have been destroyed.
Watyil warned of the danger of allowing the God-given land of the people of Plateau to be forcefully taken over by those said were immigrants in to the state.
Watyil regretted the recent attacks which led to the deaths of Senator Gyang Dantong and Mr Gyang Fulani during the mass burial for the victims of the attacks. He, therefore, called on all stakeholders to embrace peace and rise to the security challenge in the state irrespective of political, ethnic and religious differences for Plateau to regain its lost glory.
Barkin-Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas have been targets of constant attacks between Berom and Fulani herdsmen in which several people, mostly women and children, had been murdered in cold blood.
The killings, which heightened in recent weeks, became a daily occurrence with several houses and food crops destroyed while thousands were rendered homeless.
