The Okun Development Association (ODA), a socio-cultural organization representing the Okun people of Kogi State, has strongly condemned recent attacks on farmlands by cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen.
In a statement released on Saturday, ODA’s National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Thomas, expressed the group’s outrage over the latest incident in Egbe Town, Yagba West senatorial district. A viral video clip showed acres of cassava farms destroyed by unrestrained cows, underscoring the severity of the attack.
ODA warned that such destructive actions could further harm the already struggling local economy, despite ongoing efforts by the government and community to find lasting solutions to the persistent herdsmen-farmer conflicts in the state. The group highlighted a recent spike in food prices as evidence of the escalating herdsmen activities. They also noted that affected farmers are increasingly sinking into depression, poverty, and hopelessness as these attacks become more frequent and severe.
“The farmers are still in panic mode a few days after the incident, scared of returning to their farms to avoid physical attacks,” the statement read. “The torment being experienced by our local farmers is unbearably extreme and unacceptable.”
The group added that the unrestrained actions by the herdsmen have caused unprecedented hyper-inflationary pressures on the community. They urged relevant authorities to intervene quickly to prevent further destruction of farms and produce, calling the ongoing situation beyond logical reasoning.
