Borno State farmers in Bama have been given the go-ahead to begin farming grains again after more than a decade of the insurgency.
At the peak of the fighting, most residents of Bama – in the local government area of the same name – fled their homes after persistent and vicious attacks by insurgents. But people from the area began to be resettled about five years ago once relative peace had returned.
Most of the residents are farmers and agribusiness is the mainstay of their income. They have missed their lands and the opportunity to make a sustainable way of life for their families. Many lived for years as paupers in internally displaced persons’ camps.
When they were first resettled, they were given permission to farm 2km to 3km outside the town in the vicinity of the nearby forest. It was still considered dangerous because insurgents hiding in the forest attacked the farmers from time to time, though not as frequently as before.
However, they managed to continue farming groundnuts, Bambara nuts, beans and tiger nuts, among others.
Now, security operatives have told them they can return to their farmlands 10km outside the town, which would allow them to resume planting grains such as millet, maize and sorghum, among other cereals, in this year’s seasonal farming period.
The farmers were assured that even though they would be going deep into the forest they would be kept safe from insurgents by security operatives.
Malam Bor Chabbal, a farmer, told RNI it had been his dream to get back to his land.
“Since we were stopped from growing grains, we continued to farm groundnuts, Bambara nuts, beans and tiger nuts, among others, but now the security operatives have given us permission to plant grains about 10km away from Bama town. Security operatives have said it is safe to farm that far away again. I just hope and pray they will continue to keep us and our farmlands safe.”
Another farmer, Bulama Kaka Bama, said it was imperative for the security operatives to take all the necessary measures to protect the farmers.
“Not so long ago it was dangerous for us to farm 2km to 3km away. Now we have been given permission to farm 10km away.
“Our farming activities remained at a standstill for more than 10 years as a result of the Boko Haram [Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād – JAS] insurgency that displaced many people in Bama town. It feels like a lifetime but now we are allowed to commence full-scale planting of grains. We cannot wait to get back to our old farming ways.”
He called on the military to escort the farmers who went to remote areas because “we cannot go 10km deep into the forest alone without security operatives”.
He said that, although they were relieved and pleased to start farming grains again, in the past many farmers had been abducted and some were even killed on their own farmlands by insurgents.
“We don’t want to live in fear. We need assurance that we will be kept safe. That is imperative. We do not want to abducted or killed. We just want to feed our families and make a sustainable living again.
“As long as we know we will be kept safe on our farmlands, we are happy. But we need the military and other security operatives to be around so that we can concentrate on farming without the dreadful fear of being attacked,” he said. “We never want to live like that again.”
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
