The Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) based in Kwara State, has called on the government and traditional rulers to introduce pro-active measures to forestall the escalation of herdsmen-farmers crisis in the state to a level that will be uncontrollable as witnessed in some other parts of the country.

It also called on the peaceful people of Kwara State not to take laws into their hands, but report any potential threat to lives and property to the appropriate security agencies.

A statement issued on Thursday in Ilorin signed by the Coordinator, Dr. Abdullateef I. Alagbonsi, noted that the herdsmen-farmers clash is not a new phenomenon in Kwara State. The group noted that series of feud has been occurring for decades between farmers and herdsmen, especially in areas of Kwara North. It noted that news reporting the deliberate pasturing of cattle by the herdsmen into the locals' farmland and orchards is not a recent reportage.

“This act of vandalism usually occurs in the dead of the night and during the early morning hours or mid-day. This act of inhumanity usually degenerates into chaos that leads to loss of lives and property as most of those clashes sometimes turn into communal or inter-ethnic clashes.

“Reports reaching us, after preliminary investigation, have it that female indigenes on their way to or, back from the farm or stream are often raped by the herdsmen. The most recent one in Patigi town happened on the 29th of June, 2018, where a victim (names withheld) was raped and murdered. “According to the deceased kid sister’s narration: “We were returning from the farm after picking shear butter nuts around 9:00 a.m. when a herdsman gave a hot chase towards my sister who was the most vulnerable among us as she was an handicap while the rest of us fled home. But we were too scared to speak of it until our parents returned around 4:00 pm and inquired about our elderly sister who was found dead at the scene while we returned to the scene.”

“According to reports, there were blood stains in her private part and nose while foams could be seen in her mouth too. Another rape attempt was made again on the 5th of July 2018, when a female indigene of Patigi went to a nearby bush to ease herself but was saved by a timely rescue made by some female indigenes close to the location on hearing the screams of the victim which forced the culprit to flee the location in order to avoid being recognised,” the statement alerted.

“The traumatised victim was immediately rushed to receive treatment & had recovered. Sadly, on the 7th of July, 2018, one Mr Olanrewaju Ishowo also reported the destruction wrecked by the herdsmen on his farm in Moro Local Government area of the state. Our interest is not to attribute the killings to any particular tribe. However, knowing the level of unrest and insecurity in many parts of Nigeria including Borno, Benue, Jos, Zamfara, Nassarawa, Ebonyi, and others, ENetSuD, as a CSO, is only calling on the government, traditional councils and security agencies across Kwara state to put all necessary measures in place in order to checkmate these unnecessary losses of lives and properties,” the statement declared.

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