We Pay Bandits To Gain Access To Our Farms – Bafarawa

Former Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa has said that the security situation in the country has become difficult to comprehend as farmers now pay bandits in order to gain access to their farmlands.

Bafarawa, who is presently a full time farmer, said he owned 10,000 hectares of farmland at Birnin Gwari where he cultivated a large quantity of maize for use by his flour mills company and for commercial purposes.

He specifically said he was forced to abandoned and flee from his farm of over 30 years since three years ago as a result of uncontrolled security challenges.

Bafarawa therefore warned that if the situation is not effectively tackled, the much agitated food security would be a mirage and the country may suffer severe crises.

He advised the Federal Government to double efforts toward ending the activities of terrorists as a means to achieving food security in the country.

The former governor explained that a situation where farmers can no longer go to their farms, it would be difficult to determine where the people would get their food from taking into consideration the spiralling effect of inflation.

In the words of Bafarawa; “In my locality, because I don’t know about other localities, right now in my village Bafarawa, even if we want to farm, we have to seek permission from the bandits.

“They have to give us the portion of land to use for our farming. The farms are there but, the bandits are not allowing the farmers to work on their farms. It is a serious matter”.

Bafarawa also said that foodstuffs can only be available in abundance when there is peace and security, adding however, since many farmers were no longer able to farm, the country should not expect any appreciable harvest.

The former governor who rule Sokoto State from 1999 to 2007, said that there is so much pressure on the farmers to meet demands as the number of mouths to feed are increasing daily as a result of population increase.

Bafarawa noted that the establishment of community security outfits by some state governments, like Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara, would not achieve the desired result as the constitutional provisions which vest security architecture of the country in the hands of the Federal Government.