How we paid bandits to gain access to our Farms – Former governor

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

Bafarawa, who is currently a full time farmer, stated that he owned 10,000 hectares of farmland at Birnin Gwari where he cultivated a huge quantity of maize for use by his flour mills company and for commercial impetus.

He categorically 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 stated 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 of Sokoto State, who rule the state from 1999 to 2007, farmers are under an enormous amount of pressure to produce enough food to support the growing number of people living there every day.

Bafarawa stressed out that the constitution’s provisions, which give the federal government control over the nation’s security architecture, entailed the creation of community security groups by some state governments such as those in Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara would not provide the intended result.