By muhammad ibrahim,sokoto
About 200 villages are affected, and are routinely attacked in broad daylight despite the presence of inactive security agencies who always say to the communities affected that they were not directed to act immediately.
The bandits’ activities were the same in isa local government arewa and its surrounding communities such as turba, kamarawa, bafarawa, and tozai, and more than half of all the villages around them are facing similarly attacks on daily bases.
That recently, bandits kingpin bello turji and his commanders issued a decree in the area that anyone seen on his farm be shot dead.
That in addition to this, those who desired to farm were levied outrageous sums beyond their capacity to pay.
With this scenario, most of the villages have been deserted and the people were taking refuge in isa and sabon birni, niger republic as well as sokoto and other related towns and communities.
Some of them that are in the bushes, or forest and other hiding places do return home in the morning, only to be attacked again in the early afternoon or evening.
Consequently, farming activities have been drastically reduced to the lowest percentage in most parts of the major towns and communities affected towns and villages who were surrounded areas by the bandits, altogether their mental activities were stopped.
We’re in the weeding season now but most farmers are yet to plant for lack of seeds and fear of being either killed, maimed, or abducted.
It was established (through the survey by the concerned citizens that more than 70 per cent of the farmers may not be able to farm at all this year.
The farmers principally millet, sorghum, watermelon, cowpeas, cabbage, onion, and garlic in commercial quantities.
Insecurity challenges in the area have established the economic impact of this sordid and scary situation using millet as a case crop in five of the local government areas birni, isa, goronyo, rabah, and wurno.
That millet was chosen because it is the principal crop grown all over the district both in sole and inter cropping combinations and the reconnaissance survey carried out by the concerned citizen found that at least 70 per cent of the area is covered by the crop.
The implications of this huge loss to the economy of just five local governments in only one of the dozens of crops are obvious:
Massive food scarcity and hunger which even the whole state budget can not handle which need urgent call for action as the multiplier negative effects trance to the shores of the affected local governments and the states in general.
