Farmers Decry Devastation Of Community

The People of
Aminigboko Community Enughan, in the Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State have sent a Save our Soul (SOS) plea to the state government to come to the rescue of farmers in the community.
The community which was devastated by cultists for the past one year made the call as relative peace has returned to the community.
In separate interviews, some of the returning farmers who spoke to our correspondent said the situation calls for urgent government attention.
The farmer who pleaded anonymity said that during their absence, the presence of the police did not prevent the suspected cultists from ravaging their farms and domestic animals which they left behind.
The Tide gathered that most of the fleeing farmers has vowed not to return even though a new set of joint security personnel have been drafted to the community.
According to them, each time there was a change of guard, the cultists make brief appearances, boasting that they were still on ground.
They said a change of guard should only be effected after another shift has arrived in order to restore confidence on the operations of the security arrangement.
However, efforts to speak with the chairman of Aminigboko Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr Chukwudi Georgewill proved abortive but a source close to him which also asked to be named said farmers in the community need assistance from the state government.
According to the source, the Rivers State government through the Ministry. Agriculture should provide cassava cuttings, plantain seedlings and other agric inputs to enable the farming community come back to life.
Our correspondent who visited the community reports that the community has over grown bush which was scaring to few who have ventured to return.
Some of those seen making efforts to clear their compounds who spoke to our correspondent said so far the security personnel have been vary co-operative with the people.
One of the earliest returnees and also a chief who spoke under anonymity said the farmer has a long way to go.
He said the complacency of the political and chieftaincy class in the local government was instrumental to the escalation of the situation.
He opined that the involvement of this class of people in the crisis should not be ruled out as it has political undertones.
While appealing to his kinsmen to come back home, he warned those who had a hand in the crises to stay clear of the community for the meantime.
It would be recalled that yet to be identified gunmen invaded and killed a number of people in the community last December.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Morocco, Senator Abdallah Wali (right), presenting N60m worth of rice to Sokoto State in Sokoto last Tuesday. Photo: NAN