The Emir of Kontagora in Niger State, Alhaji Sa’idu Namaska, has pleaded with bandits to permit them to cultivate their farms as the farming season has begun.
The Emir cited food scarcity in the country which was largely due the COVID19 pandemic as well as insecurity in the country.
Alhaji Namasaka feared that if the bandits did not yield to their plea, scarcity of food will only get worse as time goes by.
The Emir, who was represented by the Niger State Chairman of the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Shehu Galadima stated this during the Third Niger Wet Season Agricultural Inputs and Equipment Fair in Minna, the state capital.
He said: “Bandits, please allow us to farm. We need food, you also need food. If we farm, there will be food…Please, allow us to farm,” he appealed.
The Emir also called on the government to assist them by deploying security personnel to protect farmers.
The Niger State Commissioner for Agriculture Zakari Haliru Jikantoro assured farmers that the state government is doing its best to ensure the safety of every citizen in the state.
According to him, the tempo of banditry in the state has reduced because of the security strategies the government has deployed in recent times.
