Abia-born Methodist Bishop, Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha, has raised an alarm over the looming threat of intensified food insecurity in Nigeria if the persistent clashes between farmers and herders across the nation are not given urgent and serious attention.
Speaking on Sunday, Bishop Onuoha criticized the Federal Government’s handling of the crisis, noting that a lack of decisive action has emboldened rogue herders to continue terrorizing rural communities.
He cited recent violent incidents in Plateau, Benue, Enugu, Ondo, and other states as evidence of the worsening situation.
The cleric lamented that in some areas, cattle are allegedly being fed with uprooted cassava tubers, an act he described as a direct attack on food production and a driver of increasing hunger.
“If the Federal government is sincere about ensuring food availability, issue of farmer/herder clashes, should not be treated with kid gloves,” he warned.
Onuoha further emphasized that the absence of meaningful punishment for those exploiting the herder identity to commit crimes has only escalated the killing of farmers and destruction of farmlands.
“Failure to speak in tandem with commensurate punishment to those hiding under the guise of herders has further led to the massacre of farmers and destruction of farmlands,” he added.
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, especially with the farming season already underway, the cleric stressed that fear has now gripped many Nigerians who would otherwise engage in agriculture.
He also urged security agencies to intensify efforts in identifying and apprehending those masquerading as herders to commit atrocities, insisting that now is the time for concrete action.
