Terseer Ugbor, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kwande/Ushongu Federal Constituency in Benue, has raised an urgent alarm over the growing threat of Fulani bandits in the state.
According to Ugbor, over 40% of Benue State’s arable farmlands have been overtaken by the bandits, putting the state’s food security at serious risk.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Ugbor warned that the escalating violence will have a devastating impact on the agricultural economy of the state.
He pointed out that the attacks are not only disrupting farming activities but also leading to a significant drop in the state’s agricultural production.
His words: “The major problem with this issue is the food security that it is going to bring especially on our people in Benue and Nigeria as a whole because as of the last information we have, over 40 per cent of the arable farmlands in Benue State have been taken over by the Fulani bandits.
He said it got so bad that the bandits dared to attack an immigration outpost and the only standing security presence in the community with Cameroon and burnt it down.
His words: “This immigration outpost did not necessarily have equipment or arms to defend itself. It was more of an intelligence-gathering outpost, but at least it provided a semblance of a security presence in the place.
“In the course of that attack, the bandits took a detour, which took them into the Cameroonian territory, and the Cameroonian gendarmes attacked them and killed so many of them.
“This thing became headline news in Cameroon, where they mentioned that the Nigerian Fulani bandits are killing and attacking the Cameroon military. So this is something that has a very important international dimension that could become a crisis beyond our control and understanding if we don’t take note.
“And then recently, just yesterday to be precise, there was another killing that took place by the same Fulani bandits, which are suspected to be based and camped around the Kashim Bila area.
“From the last count, we heard that about 13 persons have been killed and their bodies have been recovered. So our farmers are unable to go to their farms and the production capacity of the states has dropped significantly because of the losses and the loss of produce and the loss of farmlands in Benue State.
“We have clamoured over the last few years that the international border with Cameroon through Benue State should be properly established and the Export Processing Zone which was approved many years ago for that region be activated and industrial activities and commercial activities opened up for the region not to become a crisis hotspot.
“With this, the country can reap the benefits of international trade, benefits of industrialisation with the presence of the power plant, with the presence of an airport and then with the natural resources and the access roads around the area into the international community.
“It’s a very rich and prime area for economic activities and economic prosperity for Nigeria and for Benue State.”
