Mrs Olajumoke Awosika is Chief Executive Officer of Fresh Fields Organic Farms in Ibaayin village, Ibadan, Oyo State. In this interview with KAYODE OYERO, the 57-year-old USA returnee narrates her ordeal in the hands of herdsmen, whose incessant attacks forced her to abandon her N20m farm

What is your name and what do you do for a living?

My name is Mrs Olajumoke Awosika. I am 57 years old. I’m an organic farmer, an organic instructor and organic teacher. I’ve been farming now for 5 years in Ibaayin village in Ibadan.

What is the size of your farm and what kind of crops do you cultivate?

I have three farms but the one in question is about 10 acres, which is 4 hectares. I planted plantain mainly but I also have palm trees, ginger, turmeric, yam, pineapple, cassava, tomato and pepper on the farm.

What motivated you to venture into farming?

I’m a US-trained caterer. I am a caterer by profession; that was what I was into in America before I came back to Nigeria. I worked at Mobil Restaurant in Houston, Texas. But I took the option of early retirement. When I came back home to Nigeria with my husband, we decided to see what we could do. While abroad, we were hearing good things about Nigeria, that Nigeria was getting better. By the grace of God, I’m a dual citizen of the USA and Nigeria. All my children were born abroad. But no matter how long you stay outside, home is still home; and that was why we came back home.

When we got back I discovered we don’t really have organic produce in Nigeria. I had been diagnosed with high BP and diabetes and was trying to live a healthier life. So I was looking for organic produce which I used to get in the US. But to my surprise, 5 years ago that wasn’t really available in Nigeria and where we managed to get, it was really expensive. I live in Lagos on 3 plots of land, so I started using one plot for organic gardening. With time we began to get more produce than the family could consume so I started looking for market. I soon began to supply upscale supermarkets on the Island, and that was when I discovered my passion for organic farming when I realised I could actually make money from it. As a result I decided to get land in our family area in Ibaayin, since my mother is from Ibadan. I got 10 acres there and that was how my journey into full-time farming began.

What year did you return to Nigeria?

I returned home in 2010.

How much money did you invest when you started the farm?

Organic farming is cash intensive. I spent about N4m to get the 4 hectares of land as an outright purchase. I immersed myself in learning about organic farming. I went for training here in Nigeria in addition to the training I had back in the US. I discovered that in organic farming, you don’t use a bulldozer because that will strip and destroy your ecosystem; you will kill the earthworms, you will destroy the topsoil and will be left with another layer which is not as rich.

So, I decided I was not going to use caterpillar. If I was going to use a caterpillar, it would have just cost me about N10,000 to clear each acre. That is very easy and cheap but very destructive. So, instead of using caterpillar, I hired people to gradually clear the land, which was a virgin land, and get it ready for planting. I got 4 workers and paid each N300,000 per year. That was N1.2m and it did not include cost of feeding the workers. Later, we employed over 20 more labourers to join them. In the end, I spent over N7m on clearing the land. After that, I spent N1m to sink an industrial borehole.

So, how much have you invested in the farm in total since you started?

I have spent over N20m, including cost of the land.

Have you started recouping your investment and making profit from the farm?

Farming is not like buying and selling where after selling a container, you can go back to America or China to import another. It’s not like that. The N20m have invested so far is probably going to take me the rest of my life before I start making profit, probably like 20 years from now. It’s a long-term investment; it is my retirement investment but I had to look for something that would give me money in the short term. And that was why I started planting tomatoes, pepper, vegetables in between the trees. But in the next 10 years, we won’t be able to plant in between the trees again because by then the hands of our plantain and palm trees would have created shade and nothing will thrive under shade. I pay my workers with money from the short-term crops. I had expected to break even this year and start getting money to the tune of millions from the farm, but crisis started and shattered everything.

What really happened that made you abandon your farm and leave Ibadan?

When the Sunday Igboho phenomenon happened and he gave Fulani herders an ultimatum to leave Ibarapa axis, we saw gradual increase in the population of Fulani (in our area), which was unlike anything we had seen in the last 5 years. Before then, I had never seen one Fulani cow in my axis (Ibaayin) because my farm is remote. When we started seeing them, my farm manager told me. He is the head of a task force organised by farmers in the area and he had many encounters with Fulani herdsmen; he had fought many of them. When the situation got heated and they (herders) started kidnapping people, I stopped going to the farm alone. I went with my farm manager and he showed me tracks of cows. He later told me they had already invaded nearby farms.

I am the biggest plantain farmer in the area. The first day herders came to the area, they destroyed farms. This was 10 February 2021. As soon as they got there, they went into people’s farms, harvested plantain and uprooted cassava for their cows. Those were farms around mine, owned by old men, people in their 60s and 70s and herdsmen destroyed the farms on a massive scale. Cows ate the crops after which they were marched by herdsmen to the two main rivers in the village – these were rivers with very clear and clean water the villagers drank. Herders destroyed the water completely; their cows defaecated and polluted the water. So, the villagers started fetching water from the borehole in my farm.

Do you mean your own farm was spared on that occasion?

Yes, but the only reason they didn’t enter into my farm that day was because there were 4 boys on the farm. They were able to enter other farms and wreaked havoc because nobody was on those farms.

What was the reaction of the farm owners after destruction by cows?

Villagers held a meeting. The farmers’ task force traced the cows to a certain Fulani man who had acquired about 200 acres of land in the area. Some villagers around us sold 200 acres of land to that Fulani man. So the task force discovered it was that Fulani man that freed his cows to graze on other people’s farms. But with 200 acres of land, how can you tell me there is nothing for those cows to eat, so that they had to come outside to destroy people’s farms? Of course, it was just sheer wickedness.

So, after that invasion, the affected farmers went to confront this Fulani man and told him to build a ranch for his cows on his land or they would kill his cows but the man did not listen. The second day, villagers chased the herdsmen out of our village and we were happy, thanking God that that would be the end. But we were wrong. It turned out it was only a prelude to another horror.

What happened thereafter?

On February 27, Fulani men kidnapped the son of a poultry owner in Apete. Vigilantes and villagers went after them, and the fleeing Fulani people entered Alajaka village and killed 8 people; they entered Alaka village and killed more people, beheaded them and took their heads away. That was the height of it and I said, “I’m done!”. I just packed my things and returned to Lagos because my children and everyone in the US had been pressuring me to leave. When I left the farm, I told my workers to leave too because I don’t want any of them killed by the herdsmen.

Have you or any of your workers gone back to the farm since then?

Gone where! We have left the farm. We abandoned the farm in February when herders killed 8 people around us. It was very close to my farm, it was a walking distance. In fact, last week, my manager told me herders finally invaded the farm with their cows and fed my plantain to their cows. They were supposed to have been harvested in February; they were worth about N1.5m. It is supposed to be continuous harvest.

Have you reported the incident to the police?

There is no police post in the village; the nearest one is located at Alabata, about 3 miles to my farm. Police are aware of the killings; the matter was reported but nothing has been done.

As someone who lived for more than 30 years in the US, what impression do you get from these incidents?

We have to tell ourselves the truth, what we have in the South-West is not herders-farmers clashes; no farmer is fighting with herders; farmers don’t have guns. Herders are armed militia with sophisticated guns. What the armed Fulani men are trying to achieve is what I don’t know. I speak French very well and I listen to the videos of these herders, they are francophone, our borders are wide open for Fulani criminals to come and attack us in Nigeria. It is surprising Fulani herders publicly carry gun and some governors in the North are telling us they need the guns to protect their cows. What is the value of a cow compared to the value of a human life? Why can’t I as a farmer, also bear arms to protect myself and my farm? I remember years ago, the Buhari government said everyone should surrender their arms. We did but the Fulani never did. It’s like they have an agenda. We surrendered our arms and as a farmer, I am now a sitting duck for attackers; I can be killed, I can be raped, I can be kidnapped for ransom.

In America where I lived for over 3 decades, if I don’t have a criminal record I can bear arms. I can protect my life, it is in the constitution. Even in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, I have a right to defend myself. If a Fulani man is carrying AK-47, as a farmer I should also be able to a carry gun and stand up to defend myself. If I am licensed to carry a gun, I swear to God, I will arm those boys on my farm, we will not run and we will stand our ground and l will see the Fulani man that will say he wants to kill me on my own land! If the government cannot defend us, we should have a right to defend ourselves. The way forward is self-defence and it is a shame on this government that human life has no value.

Have you applied for licence to bear arms?

No, I have not and it was because the Buhari government said everybody should turn in their weapons, that it is illegal to have guns as a citizen. Even my farm manager, who used to have a licensed gun, surrendered it because of the new policy. But if the government does not allow us to bear arms, it should allow Amotekun to bear arms.

Do you regret coming back to Nigeria from the US?

Yes, I do and as a matter of fact, I am making plans to go back to the US. I’m done! There is no point because we don’t know when the rising insecurity in the country is going to abate. These militia keep bringing in weapons daily and government is silent. It is very painful to let go of everything especially with no support from the government.

Do you have friends back in America who were considering returning to Nigeria to go into farming like you?

In fact, I have people I already helped to buy farmlands in Ibadan. One is an Ibadan man who is well-known in Amsterdam; apart from him, there are other people like that in the US. In fact, one of them wanted to go into cow ranching; that is his passion.

Is he Hausa?

No, he is mixed race, my childhood friend. As a matter of fact, I motivate a lot of Nigerians in the diaspora to invest in farming and so, today, whenever they hear of any tragedy, they all call me to check if I am safe. But they are all encouraged to come and farm at home because they always say that if you can do this as a woman, then they can also do it. I’ve got farmlands for my sisters abroad and at least 6 others for farming.

Leo4:
Hello, I need someone from kogi

"Those who love their lives should avoid Akure-Oyo Expressway for now” was Gbenga Ibikunle’s admonition as he recounted how he and his wife were kidnapped sometime in January this year. The experience has become traumatic for the 47-year-old and his family.

Gbenga and his family travelled to his wife’s hometown in Ebonyi State for an event and were returning to Akure when they ran into a group of daring gunmen at Uso community in Owo LGA of Ondo State around 5 pm. Driving a Lexus SUV, the Ibikunles immediately became targets for the cutlass and AK-47 wielding gunmen, the eldest of whom Gbenga presumed to not be more than 17 years old.

The abductors had everything well planned. They struck at a deplorable spot on the road after passing through Emure-Owo junction at Owo. A man on a motorcycle rode beside the Ibikunles. At a point, he swerved into the car’s path. Gbenga quickly applied the brakes but it was too late. He hit the motorcyclist, who fell down. Moved with empathy, Gbenga parked the car and he and his wife stepped out to check the motorcyclist. They had barely moved when gunmen emerged from the bush bearing weapons.

“At that moment, I concluded our day of death had come,” Gbenga said. “We were led into the bush, trekking for about 5 hours to the kidnappers’ den. They beat us severely as we walked. We got to a point we had to cross a river, which was so deep it got to my chest” he said.

Around 10 pm when they got to the kidnappers’ den, their belongings, including phones and jewellery, were collected. The following day, the kidnappers asked the couple to call their families, demanding a ransom of N20m. After 3 days in captivity, their families could only raise N2m, which the kidnappers collected before releasing them. “We weren’t fed throughout the 3 days in captivity. They only gave us dirty water to drink,” he said. Gbenga added that since the experience, his children, who on the day of the incident had to call a relative to drive them home, had developed a phobia for travelling via road.

For some time now, Akure-Owo Expressway, ridden with potholes, has become a theatre of operation for notorious bandits who kidnap and even sometimes kill travellers. The road is one of the busiest inter-state and inter-region routes in the country, linking South-West to South-South and Northern geopolitical zones. It also connects many communities within Akure and Owo axis.

Despite the expressway’s busy nature, the road has some failed portions at which motorists have no choice but to slow down. At other parts of the highway, half of the road has caved in, leaving only narrow pathways. At Emure-Owo junction, where Gbenga and his wife were kidnapped, the road has totally caved in, with heavy-duty trucks oftentimes stuck on the road. Emboldened by the poor state of the road and inadequate police presence, kidnappers have now turned the route into their operational zone.

Another victim of kidnapping on the route is Iyaloja of Isua in Akoko South-East LGA of Ondo State, Helen Edward, who in November 2020 also ran into gunmen. Edward said she was returning from a meeting in Akure with others when a group of gun-wielding men stopped and kidnapped them at Uso community around 2.30 pm. “They collected the money in my bag. They led us into the bush, with guns pointed at us, for several hours. We crossed rivers. They threatened to kill us,” she said.

After 5 days in captivity and payment of N5m ransom for all, Helen said she and her group members were released. “I call on government to provide security for travellers plying this route,” she said, adding, “Kidnappers hide in forests, so I think if the government can open forest reserves and allow farmers to use them, this crime will reduce.”

MOTORISTS’ NIGHTMARE, KIDNAPPERS’ DELIGHT
The havoc Nigeria’s bad roads cause is unquantifiable. They are a blessing to kidnappers and other armed groups but a nightmare for travellers who ply such routes. Saturday PUNCH findings showed that apart the Akure-Owo Expressway, another highway notorious for kidnapping in Ondo State is Owo-Benin highway. A particularly dangerous spot on the road is at Elegbeka village where criminals take advantage of craters and potholes to abduct and kill.

One of their victims was former captain of the National Scrabble Team, Paul Sodje, killed by kidnappers in September 2020 after he reportedly took a ransom to the criminals who abducted his brother some days earlier. Sodje, who was murdered by the criminals at age 54, was Nigeria’s captain at the African Scrabble Championship in Zambia in 2012.

Also, in March 2020, two footballers of the NPFL, Dayo Ojo of Enyimba and Benjamin Iluyomade of Abia Comets, were driving in Ojo’s car with another Enyimba player, Emmanuel James, when their vehicle, along with other commercial vehicles on the route, ran into gunmen along Owo-Benin Expressway. James managed to escape but Ojo and Iluyomade were abducted. They were released 3 days later after ransoms were reportedly paid.

However, kidnapping along Owo-Benin highway assumed a frightening nature in November 2020 when Olufon of Ifon, Ose LGA of Ondo State, Oba Israel Adeusi, was killed by gunmen. The monarch was reported to have gone for a meeting in Akure and returning home when, as he got to the rough road around Elegbeka around 4 pm, was accosted by the gunmen and shot dead.

Similarly, the South-West was thrown into mourning in July 2019 when Mrs Funke Olakunri, daughter of former leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was killed by gunmen at Ore, Ondo State, along Owo-Benin Expressway. This reportedly happened when gunmen numbering about 15 laid ambush and shot at the deceased as she was travelling from Akure to Ore in her Toyota SUV. Some of Olakunri’s killers have since been arrested and charged on counts of conspiracy, kidnapping, murder, and unlawful possession of firearms.

Meanwhile, there have also been several cases of kidnapping and killing in other parts of South-West by criminals taking advantage of bad portions of roads. One recent case was the kidnapping of 7 travellers on March 2 along Osogbo-Ibokun road. One traveller was shot dead by the gunmen and 2 people also reportedly wounded. The incident took place around 7.30 pm at Ajebandele village in Obokun LGA of Osun State. The abductees were released some days later after a joint rescue operation by police and Osun State Security Network, Amotekun.

Also in Osun State, suspected Fulani herdsmen in May 2019 abducted an orthopaedic surgeon at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof Olayinka Adegbehingbe, while travelling between Asejire and Ikire towns on Ife-Ibadan Expressway around 9 pm. Adegbehingbe, who was travelling from Lagos to Ife when he was kidnapped, said his abductors were paid around N5m before he was released.

Due to rampant kidnapping cases, warning messages have since been circulating on social media warning motorists in Osun State to avoid plying routes such as Osogbo-Ibokun, Ilesha-Osogbo, Ilesa-Akure, Imesi-Ile-Obokun-Esa-Oke, and Ile-Ife-Edun-Aabon-Sekona roads, especially at night.

DEADLY ROUTES
Shola Ojo, a driver with one of the private transport companies, sped like a driver competing for Formula One as he journeyed from Abuja to Kaduna. It was around 7.20 pm 22 November 2020. Our correspondent, who sat beside him in the front passenger seat, observed as he swerved his Toyota bus, avoiding potholes that dotted the about 185km highway.

Ojo’s reason for the speed was not far-fetched. “There has been a series of kidnappings by bandits on this route. I can’t slow down; I have to drive faster,” Ojo said, his eyes fixed on the road. Ojo tried to keep to his goal of driving faster, even through deep potholes, praying none of his vehicle’s tyres would burst or the bus develop a fault.

Though he tried as much as possible not to slow down, there were several bad portions along the road that he could not but slow down. Our correspondent observed that on the Abuja-Kaduna highway, there were several points where the driver spent as long as 10 minutes wriggling through. From Abuja to towns and villages such as Bwari, Jere, Gidan Maimadaji, Katari, Rando, Dutsi to Kakau, the journey was largely uncomfortable due the road’s deplorable state.

At last, our correspondent got to Barnawa area of Kaduna few minutes to midnight and was directed to one of the hotels nearby. Ojo said if the road was in a good condition, the journey could have taken about two and a half hours. “But thank God, we got here safely,” he said.

Unfortunately, many Nigerians could not say the same. Many have been victims of kidnapping on Abuja-Kaduna expressway which has been notorious for kidnapping by bandits wielding dangerous weapons including AK-47. Due its sorry state, the expressway linking FCT and the northwest has been a good spot for bandits because many travellers ply the route.

Bandits, said to usually come on motorcycles and block the road where the portions are bad, have many times killed, raped and collected ransoms from victims. In December 2020, at least 16 travellers were killed by gunmen along the expressway on their way back to Kano from a business trip. A month earlier, 9 students from Dept of French at ABU Zaria, Kaduna State, were kidnapped while travelling to Lagos for a programme at Nigerian French Language Village, Badagry. They were released a week later after reportedly paying a ransom.

To tackle insecurity on the highway, 300 female soldiers were deployed to Kaduna-Abuja highway to fight bandits who have held sway on the route. March 3, the Federal Executive Council approved complete reconstruction of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, a project estimated at N797.2bn, according to Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

Meanwhile, apart the Abuja-Kaduna highway, there are several other highways across the country notorious for kidnapping, banditry, and armed robbery. Findings from records by agencies such as FRSC and police showed that some include Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Abeokuta expressways, Ilorin-Ogbomoso Road, Ondo-Ore Road, Akure-Benin Road, Akure-Owo-Akugba Road, Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia Road, and Kaduna-Kano highway.

Others are Ebonyi Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Road, Katsina/Ala-Wukari Road linking Benue and Taraba states, Elele-Ndele Rumuji-Emuoha-Choba-Port Harcourt Road, Kaduna-Saminaka-Jos highway, Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto road, Suleja-Lambata-Bida road, and Jibia-Gurbi-Kaura Namoda road linking Katsina and Zamfara states.

POLITICS OF NIGERIA’S BAD ROADS
In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed series of kidnappings by armed groups and terrorists, with a 2020 report by SB Morgen showing that between 2011 and 2020, over $18m (N6.9bn) had been paid in ransom to kidnappers by victims. Out of this, SBM stated that around $11m (N4.2bn) was paid between 2016 and 2020, which makes it appear kidnapping has become a serious business. Nigeria is said to have some of the world’s deadliest roads – despite billions of naira budgeted annually to fix the roads.

According to data by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Nigeria has a road network of 200,000 km, out of which 35,000 km is gazetted as federal roads. States are responsible for 32,000km of roads, with remaining 133,000km under purview of local governments. According to FERMA, only about 10,000km of federal roads are in ‘good’ state while about 13,300km and 11,700km are in ‘fair’ and ‘bad’ states, respectively.

Nigeria has spent millions of dollars on road maintenance since 1999. Despite this colossal sum spent on the roads, many still remain deadly traps, exposing motorists and commuters to danger. Apart kidnappers and bandits who seem to hold sway on bad roads, many Nigerians travelling from one part of the country to another are stranded, sometimes spending several hours for a journey that should take minutes, while some even lose their lives due to fatal accidents as a result of potholes.

In monetary terms, man-hours lost to traffic delays as a result of bad roads cost the economy about N1.02tn per annum, according to FERMA. “Most roads in Nigeria are poorly constructed and maintained. Hence, they cannot last,” a Lagos-based economist, Mr Kunle Olaide, told Saturday PUNCH.

He said, “Corruption is the main cause of bad roads in Nigeria. Look at some of the roads constructed 4 years ago within Lagos State, they are worn out. It’s the same thing across the country. Bad roads everywhere. You can’t decide to take a road trip because of bandits and kidnappers who are exploiting the situation. Roads are supposed to last up to 50 years if well constructed and maintained. However, in Nigeria, this is not the case. Surfaces of most roads don’t last up to 6 months or a year.”

Speaking on why roads don’t last in Nigeria, researchers Godwin Enwerem and Galal Ali said most of the construction materials and methods used in building and constructing roads were not suitable for the country as a tropical zone. “Laterite, stone-based chippings and asphalt, which are the major construction materials, are not suitable, and cannot withstand weather conditions in the country. Again, methods used by the foreign construction companies are not anchored on research with Nigeria as a focus,” they said.

In their study titled, ‘Socioeconomic Impacts of Potholes on Nigerian Roads and Sustainable Development,’ Enwerem and Ali also said bad roads were caused by operations of heavy-duty trucks, poor environmental impact assessment, unstable ground, poor drainage, and poor maintenance. Until roads are fixed across the country, a Lagos-based lawyer and activist, Mrs Peace Okoli, said government should bear the blame when any citizen is killed or kidnapped by bandits and other criminals exploiting bad roads to carry out their activities.

“Government bears the blame; it’s as simple as that. Of course, we don’t really have a government with a conscience in Nigeria, which is why they keep spending billions to patch roads,” Okoli said.

SITUATION HERE IS WORRISOME
Journeying from Kagoma to Kafanchan in Jema’a LGA of Kaduna State is just 17 km and should not take more than 35 minutes by car, according to Google Maps estimates. But motorists plying this route oftentimes spend over 2 hours due to the deplorable condition of the road. For many people like Egoh Bako living within the axis, driving through the bad road wouldn’t have been something to worry about too much, except bandits now exploit this situation and kidnap people for ransom.

“I discovered that kidnappers carry out their activities on the road because it is bad. While driving, there are various points vehicles have to slow down, so kidnappers take advantage of this to abduct people,” Bako told Saturday PUNCH. “The situation here is worrisome. Kidnapping happens almost every week within Kagoma-Kafanchan axis,” he added.

Bako, who is state chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, was kidnapped alongside his wife 25 December 2020. He lamented the situation would linger as long as the road was not repaired. The cleric, who spent about 48 hours with the kidnappers before he regained freedom, said kidnappers could be restrained only if the road was fixed. “Kagoma-Kafanchan road does not only have big potholes; it’s a complete washout. And that’s why kidnappers hold sway. I think if government repairs the road, it will curb activities of kidnappers and make lives secure,” he said.

Bako said aside kidnapping, accidents also regularly occurred on the Kagoma-Kafanchan road due to its pitiable state. “Once it’s 7.30 pm many people usually avoid the road until the following morning. But sometimes, you can’t predict the kidnappers’ movement. There are some security agents on the road, but the kidnappers can be very smart,” he said.

Another cleric who lives within the axis but spoke on condition of anonymity said he would have been a victim of kidnapping in January while driving along Kagoma-Kafanchan road. However, he said before the bandits could approach him, he jumped out of his car and fled into the bush. “Thankfully, they couldn’t find me where I hid,” the cleric said. “The bandits stationed themselves at the worst portion of the road. If you were driving, there was no way you wouldn’t slow down. The bandits exploit this to carry out their deadly acts,” he added.

For Shetima Ibrahim, who is resident in Gombe, the Gombe State capital, 2019 was a year he would not forget in a hurry. The middle-aged man was on a business trip when he ran into a gang of bandits after he passed Cham towards Lafia-Lamurde on outskirts of Gombe towards Adamawa State.

He said, “There Is a spot where a driver would need to practically crawl due to the bad terrain. As I drove through, a group of boys invaded and stopped traffic. They asked me to park and I did. They asked me and other occupants of a private bus to come out. This was around 10 am. They collected all phones and whisked us off into the bush; it was a hilly terrain.” Ibrahim said he had to part with N1m before he was released.

Meanwhile, 3 members of the gang terrorising travellers along the axis, namely Dabo Yusuf, 40; Shehu Saleh, 30; and Mamman Haruna, 35 recently told The PUNCH during a police parade of how they usually took advantage of bad roads to carry out their acts. Haruna, who spoke on behalf of the gang, said they usually watched travellers from a distance and stopped those who appeared rich by virtue of vehicles they drove or dresses they wore.

He said, “We lay ambush for passengers at rough portions of the road and we do not usually stop all vehicles. It is only vehicles that have good-looking occupants we stop. We didn’t kill our victims. We only kept them for as long as possible until we were able to get money. One of our victims claimed he didn’t have money, so our greed made us follow him. We didn’t know it was a trap. We were led into an ambush by police.”

WHY IT'S DIFFICULT TO SECURE HIGHWAYS –POLICE Mohammed Adamu
Spokesperson of Nigeria Police, Frank Mba, said bad roads, overgrown hedges and absence of streetlights on highways were responsible for insecurity on highways. “These 3 major criminogenic factors are unfortunately outside control of the police. But when crimes take place nobody thinks about these factors,” he said.

Mba noted that when there were no streetlights, it made policing difficult, adding that when police officers were on patrol, even if they had night-vision goggles, they wouldn’t be able to see far. “But when there are streetlights, you can see up to 100 metres away from you,” he said. Despite challenges, Mba said police would keep on trying their best, stating that police oftentimes helped fill up potholes and mobilise communities to clear bushes on highways.

“We also recently installed mobile cameras on patrol vehicles, but we don’t have enough. Also, they are limited in function if there are bushes and no streetlights on highways”. He solicited support from communities and philanthropists to tackle problems affecting effective policing of the highways.

Meanwhile, Mr Hakeem Bello, who is Special Adviser on Communications to Minister of Works and Housing, Fashola, asked Saturday PUNCH to send names of bad roads where kidnappers are holding sway. “It’ll be helpful if you can send the specific bad spots being referred to. This would enable me know the specific Federal Controller of Works in the states or which director to follow up with,” he said.

But he had yet to respond as of the time of filing this report after our correspondent sent him a list of some of the highways mentioned in the report.

Feranmi4christ:
OFFA TRUE BORNS WHO DESIRE PEACE, REJECT THE CULTURE OF COMMUNAL MISINFORMATION & MISDIRECTIONS: NEED TO RETRACE MISSTEPS BY OFFA PEOPLE.

A brief of the narrative ....

SouthNigerian:
Can you see the name? AGBEKOYA
AGBE(Farmer) KOYA(Discipline).

Agbe a koya fun awon Fulani. Meaning
Farmers will discipline the Fulanis.

WE ARE CLOSE TO FREEDOM.

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has explained that it spent N966bn to repair pipelines between 2010 and 2015. NNPC stated this in response to the query raised in the 2016 report of the Auditor General of the Federation. Chairman, Senate Public Account Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, is currently scrutinising the AuGF report.

The Senate panel insisted that NNPC had a case to answer on why it allegedly failed to remit N4tn into the federation account as contained in the AuGF report. Part of the AuGF report read, “It was observed from examination of NNPC report to Technical Sub- Committee of the Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting held in December 2016 that a cumulative total of N4.08tn remained unremitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC as at 31st December 2016.

“Total revenue unremitted as at 1st January 2016 from amounts payable into the Federation Account by NNPC was ₦3.88tn. The sum of N1.198,138,355,860.30 was due in revenue to the Federation Account out of the total generated in 2016. However, the NNPC paid the sum of N1,000,545,058,966.20 resulting in an amount withheld of N197,593,296,894.02. This brought the total amount withheld by the NNPC from the Federation Account as of 31 December 2016 to N4,076,548,336,749.75.”

However, the NNPC in its written response to the committee claimed that ‘the unremitted N4tn was arrived at without taking cognisance the subsidy and pipeline repairs and management associated with domestic crude oil transaction’.

The NNPC said, “Subsidy approved and certified by Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency from 2010 to 2015 stood at N4tn. Also in 2016, PMS under recovery stood at the N28.6bn which brings the total subsidy /PMS under recovery to N4tn. Aside the above, pipeline repairs and products losses so incurred stood at N966bn for the same period.”

The Chairman of the Senate panel had said that the NNPC must appear before the Senate Committee this week to give clarification on the issue raised in the AuGF report concerning the N4tn unremitted into the federation account.

SENATE SUMMONS MINISTRY OFFICIALS OVER N2BN UNREMITTED FUNDS
Meanwhile, the Senate has sustained a query raised by the AuGF in its 2016 report which alleged that the Ministry of Solid Minerals did not remit N2bn into the Federation Account. Part of the AuGF query read, “During the examination of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee records, we observed that a cumulative total of N9,923,015,028.00 Solid Minerals revenue collected in 2015 was paid into the Federation Account in the year ended 31st December 2016. We noted that the ministry reported the same total revenue figure for years 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Luckybelt:

Recently changed top cylinder and they also worked on electric things that had to do with ignition to correct that fact that radio keep on when car is off.
Nothing on compressor, fan and thermostat to my knowledge

Luckybelt:
The key is no where nearby, nobody pressed any button. The car engine just started. I notice earlier that if I remove the key, the radio keeps working

Luckybelt:
The key is no where nearby, nobody pressed any button. The car engine just started. I notice earlier that if I remove the key, the radio keeps working

Some southern state governments and farmers have dismissed blockade by northern food suppliers, saying it is an opportunity for the South to boost its food production capacity. Officials of the states including Lagos, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Enugu and Ondo in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Monday explained their actions to ensure self-sufficiency in food and animal production.

But Ondo and Cross Rivers states went further to take a swipe at the northern food suppliers, saying they would not beg the traders to end their blockade, which entered the 4th day on Monday. Recall that cattle and foodstuff dealers under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuffs and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria on Thursday stopped supplies to the South. Their action followed the FG’s failure to meet their demands, which include payment of N475m compensation for destruction of lives and property during #EndSARS protests and last month’s crisis in Shasha, Oyo State.

To enforce the strike, the union’s task force prevented members from transporting livestock and food from the north to the southern part of the country. Many trucks, which disobeyed its directives, were stopped along the Jebba-Kaduna road last Friday, prompting the military to intervene. But the union, at a press conference in Abuja on Monday accused the military of harassing its members. It added that it had not called off the strike.

WE WON'T APPEAL TO NORTHERN TRADERS; HERDERS SHOULD STOP DESTROYING OUR FARMS – ONDO
Commenting on the strike, Mr Akin Olotu, Senior Special Assistant to Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Agriculture and Agric Business, in an interview with one of our correspondents, described the blockade as a good development. He said it was an eye-opener to utilise opportunities the South had in agriculture.

Olotu said the state government was not perturbed by the development as he said it would make the people of the South-West involve more in agriculture. He said, “We won’t appeal to them to bring food to the South. If they want to bring it, let them bring it. If they don’t want to bring, let them take it away, but nobody will beg them. It is a welcome development, it would spur our people to embrace agriculture the more, particularly at the family level.

“It would also encourage promotion of food security at the family level. That is why the government has been advocating food security at the family level. You can plant in your compound. You can raise animals in your compound, so that you will reduce the money you spend on food. We are not relenting here. In a matter of months, our tomatoes and pepper would start coming out for harvest. We are working on onions too. Very soon, we will begin to grow our own onions. The only appeal we can make to them is for them to leave our forests and stop destroying our farms.”

NOT GOOD FOR NIGERIA’S UNITY – DELTA
Delta State Government argued that the blockade did not represent the unity of the Nigeria. Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Julius Egbedi, who stated this on Monday in Asaba, said, “I don’t have the full details now, but as a state, we have been intensifying all we are doing in food production. We will continue to do that to encourage more production. We are one Nigeria for now. I believe northern governors will not allow it because their people are here also.”

IT WON'T LAST LONG – C’RIVER
Cross River State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Asu Okang, told The PUNCH there was no use appealing to those blocking food coming from the north to the south as the blockade would not last long. He stated, “They can’t block foodstuffs from coming to the South for too long because if you say you are protesting and you won’t go to the market with your food, who suffers?

“That is where tomato comes from. That is where perishable onions come from. That is where perishable carrot and lettuce come from. They are at a loss. I can tell you that it is not the local farmers that are in support of the decision. They won’t be in support because at the end of the day, there won’t be special incentives that will be given to them. Nigeria has come to stay as one country and we must understand no ethnic group is superior to the other. If they decide to hoard what they produce and the Niger Delta decides to go into that kind of boycott, what will happen? Will there be fuel in the North?”

Akwa Ibom State Government said its agricultural revolution was aimed at ensuring that 80% of what was consumed was produced in the state. State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong, who stated this, said, “The agricultural revolution of Akwa Ibom State Government is aimed at ensuring we produce 80% of what we consume in the state.”

Enugu State Government said it would ensure the state’s sufficient in food production in no distant future. Speaking to one of our correspondents on telephone, Commissioner for Information, Chidi Aroh, said the state under the current administration had embarked on so many programmes that encourage citizens to go into agriculture. He said, “Our government is not reactionary government, that is why we are ensuring efforts are being made to be sure that rice farm in Adani is working and our rice production is at its peak.

“That’s why we are doing a lot about Ose Nsukka (yellow pepper) and our cassava production. So we are not reactionary, we are confident that’s why we are doing the (Efi Igbo) Igbo cow project. “

WITH NO COWS IN OUR BUSHES, WE WILL PRODUCE MORE FOOD, SAY ENUGU farmers
The state chapter of the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria said food blockade by north would not last long, adding that northern farmers depended on the South for survival. State Chairman of AFAN, Mr Romanus Ezeh, who spoke to one of our correspondents in Enugu, said “AFAN in Enugu State is working with both federal and state ministries of agriculture in various ways especially intervention funds to add value and boost food production in the state.”

He, however, said northern farmers could not survive without supplying their produce to the South. He said, “The blockade will not last long because farmers in the North cannot survive without marketing their produce in the South. It will make farmers in the East to grow those items we don’t have down here. With no cows in our bushes, farmers will go back in full force this farming season thereby increasing more production.”

LAGOS YET TO FEEL FOOD SHORTAGE, PLANS SELF-SUFFICIENCY – COMMISSIONER
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho on Monday said the state was not feeling any effect of food shortage. He noted that government had also not been officially informed of any decision to withdraw supplies to the state. According to him, trailers of foodstuffs have been coming from other parts of the country into the state through Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
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Omotosho urged residents not to panic, adding that the state was also making efforts to attain self-sufficiency in food production. He said, “We have not been told officially that some people in the North are withdrawing food supplies to the South-West or Lagos. And you know that Lagos is consuming no less than 50% of what is being produced in other parts of the country.

“However, Lagos is preparing for the future. Very soon, we will be inaugurating the Imota Rice Mill, which will be the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. All our agric programmes are tailored towards food self-sufficiency in the future. Farmers are being encouraged; we give them land to farm and we are also acquiring land in other states to farm so our programmes in farming will not be starved of materials.

“Our fishing programme very soon will be on. Lagos has one of the best coastal beds in the world. In our waters, we have all kinds of fish that will be canned in the future. The future of agric in Lagos is great and the government is encouraging young people to go into it. So, there is no need for anybody to panic over what anybody may have seen as some people saying they will not supply food. I have not seen anything official on that. If there is anything like a shortage, I have not seen the effect and I hope we will not see it.”

TRADERS ALLEGE EXTORTION, HARASSMENT, SAY LEADERS SUMMONED BY DSS FOR QUESTIONING
In a related development, the Department of State Services has allegedly invited the President, Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, Mohammed Tahir, over the nationwide strike declared by the union. General- Secretary of AUFCDN, Ahmed Alaramma, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, on Monday, said Tahir was with the DSS.

Alaramma alleged the military personnel were intimidating members and task force of the union, advising the government to avert looming chaos by stopping the intimidation of their members. He stated that they were invited by the DSS on Monday morning, and “our president is with the DSS, and as we speak, he is being questioned at the DSS headquarters.”

He stated, “Our members were being molested and intimidated. We reject what the Nigerian Army has done to our task force. We assure our members across the country that our strike goes on; we will never give up.” He regretted that the FG had not invited them for negotiation, but added that Kogi State Government had reached out to the union leadership.

Alaramma complained about the multiple taxation of their members and extortion by security agencies, including the Army, police, and hoodlums on the highways. He pointed out that before a truckload of cows from Adamawa got to its destination in the South-West, South-East or South-South, “he (driver)would have spent about N250,000 on settling security agencies.”

Meanwhile, normalcy on Monday returned to Jebba, as youths who blocked truck loads of food and cattle from going to the south, were dispersed by military personnel. Confirming reopening of the road, Prince Ibrahim Adebara, son of the traditional ruler of Jebba, said soldiers drafted to the area ensured free movement of vehicles.

AFENIFERE, GANI ADAMS, IGBOHO LEAD CAMPAIGN AGAINST COWS & BEEF CONSUMPTION
Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, Activist Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, Are Ona Kankanfo Gani Adams, and the Odua Peoples Congress under the leadership of Prince Segun Osinbote are set to launch a campaign against cows. This is according to an advertorial published in The PUNCH on March 1, 2021.

The campaign which is tagged, ‘Anything But Cow Day’, will launch Friday, March 5, 2021, and is being held in response to boycott of the South by northern traders, which has entered its 4th day. The campaign themed ‘A one-day symbolic beef boycott towards terminating the cow pandemic – End COWVID-21’ is expected to trend on Twitter with the #endcowpandemic.org’ and will be streamed live on Odua Peoples Communications Youtube channel.

JUKUN GROUP DISTANCES SELF FROM BLOCKADE
Meanwhile, a socio-political organisation, Jukun Development Association of Nigeria, on Monday distanced its members from individuals who directed stoppage of food supply to the South. JDAN also called on security agencies to “move quickly to arrest and prosecute those making such calls.” While calling on farmers and other people in the Middle Belt to intensify supply of a foodstuffs to the south, the organisation faulted the group that was enforcing the blockade.

President of JDAN, Chief Benjamin Bako, told journalists that those individuals calling for the boycott of food supply to the South “speak for themselves and not the entire population of the North.” Bako said it was the duty of the security agencies to give maximum security to all foodstuff traders coming to the markets in southern Nigeria for legitimate businesses.

He said that although those calling for the boycott of southern Nigeria on food supply might have genuine grievances, “the method adopted through punitive and systematic starvation of the Southern part of the country is too extreme and dangerous for a united Nigeria.” Bako said security agencies should “identify the criminals that burnt trucks and destroyed properties in Shasha and prosecuted them accordingly.”

He said, “All Nigerians need to thank Yoruba people for their hospitality and kindness for hosting all tribes in Nigeria. So, they should never be repaid with evil. The individuals calling for boycott of foodstuffs to the southern part of Nigeria may be unaware that millions of northerners that escaped hunger, poverty, starvation, banditry, Boko Haram and collapse of almost all the extreme northern states industries are now taking refuge in the South.”

At least 7 states in northern Nigeria have shut schools due to the rise in abductions and banditry in the last 2 months. This is apart from school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The states are Yobe, Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and Sokoto. While some of the states shut only boarding schools, others shut all schools located in LGAs deemed volatile.

According to figures collated from several reports, at least 768 students have been abducted by bandits within the space of 78 days. The breakdown of the figure include 344 schoolchildren of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katisna on December 11, 2020; 80 pupils of Islamiyya School, Mahuta, Katsina on December 20, 2020; 27 boys at GSS College, Kangara, Niger State on February 17, 2021; and 317 schoolgirls of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, last Thursday who are still in captivity.

Apart from recent abductions, 112 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State in 2014 are still in Boko Haram captivity as well as one pupil from Dapchi, Yobe State, Leah Sharibu. Reports collated by our correspondent showed that Zamfara is the most affected with all its boarding schools shut till further notice. The Governor, Bello Matawalle, had in response to the abductions ordered the closure of all schools on Friday.

On Saturday, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State ordered 10 schools located on the outskirts of the state be shut. On Sunday, Ganduje extended the order to five health training institutions in the state. In Yobe State on Sunday, the state government ordered boarding school students to go home amidst fear of a Boko Haram attack, exempting only SS3 students.

Katsina State, where the Kankara schoolboys were abducted also shut all boarding schools on December 13, 2020. The state, which shares boundaries with Zamfara State, however, announced its schools would re-open on Tuesday. In Niger where the Kangara schoolboys were abducted, the governor, Abubakar Bello, shut boarding schools in 4 LGAs last week.
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Sokoto State, which also shares borders with Zamfara State, shut 16 boarding schools along its borders. Some of the affected schools are Government Girls Model Secondary School, Illela; Sultan Muhammadu Tambari Arabic Secondary School, Illela; Gamji Girls College, Rabah; Government Secondary School, Gada; Government Secondary School, Gandi; and Government Secondary School, Goronyo. Both Kaduna and Jigawa states have had to shut some schools in the last 2 months due to banditry, according to BBC.

Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, the PRO, Nigerian Union of Teachers, Emmanuel Hwande, said the rising cases of banditry and closure of schools could increase the number of out-of-school children or derail the academic progress of pupils. He called on the government to improve security around schools.

He said, “When a teacher goes to school and is not guaranteed his safety, it will affect his performance. Schools being shut down completely will impact negatively on the education sector, the system. The number of out-of-school children will continue to rise because parents whose children are back from bandits will begin to think otherwise and will not want them to go to school. The children will then begin roaming the streets and in the future, these children will be recruited into criminal activities.”

According to experts, the development may worsen the number of out of school children in Nigeria which UNICEF puts at 10.5 million. UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, had last week expressed sadness over the incessant kidnapping of students, describing it as a gross violation of children’s rights and a horrific experience for children to go through.

ukay2:
What is pursuing Mobil out of NSE into NASD OTC ?

QuotaSystem:
Dangote's refinery will definitely be a game changer for the Nigerian economy.

What a genius strategy. Imagine a scenario where other African countries would be looking for Nigerian Naira in order to purchase Nigerian Petroleum Products. It would increase the organic demand for our currency thereby boosting its value significantly...

...Finally, the disgraceful economic anomaly wherein the 6th largest oil producer in the world is one of the biggest importers of petrol from less endowed countries, and continuously suffers whenever crude prices rise instead of enjoying the largesse like fellow oil producers, will finally come to an end thanks to Dangote's refinery. I wish him the best and I'm excited for Nigeria.

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Saturday said henceforth, any state where the kidnapping of children takes place should shut down in protest against the act. Soyinka also advised that other neighbouring states, as a matter of solidarity, should join the affected states to shut down.

The playwright spoke shortly after an award lecture and public presentation of his new book, ‘Chronicles of the happiest people on Earth,’ in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The programme was organised by the Association of Nigerian Authors, Ogun State chapter, in collaboration with the Abeokuta Club.

More than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped on Friday in Zamfara, the latest of such attacks, while 27 students were also abducted in Kangara, Niger State, but released after over a week later.

The octogenarian playwright, who lamented that the government and security agencies had failed Nigerians, said he didn’t know what else to recommend as panacea to the nation’s “abnormal times.” Soyinka added that such abductions were unacceptable and “drastic, meaningful measures” must be taken in unison.

He said, “I think we are reaching the point where, in any state, where any child is kidnapped, that state should shut down completely. And other states, in solidarity, should at least shut down some of their activities. It sounds extreme but, we don’t know what else one can propose at this particular time.Yes, life must go on but even those activities will generate and enhance our very existence.

“I think we have to take on a tonality of regrets, of the unacceptable, protestation and mobilisation on whatever level it is possible as a community of human beings. ‘We shouldn’t wait for an enemy, faceless, airborne, unpredictable enemy like COVID to make us shut down. In protest and as a statement of the unacceptable, we are shutting ourselves down until this situation is resolved.”
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He added, “The abduction of our children, when will it end, how will it end? I don’t think any of us can tell. But it is important that we continue to stress and to remind ourselves that, not only are these abnormal times, but it seems to be, to me anyway, times of the shirking of responsibility in very key areas. We cannot permit ourselves – we just cannot – continue in this fashion. Something drastic, meaningful has to take place, and it has to be collective.

“This is no longer the responsibility of those at the top who are supposed to be in charge of security, in charge of governance; they have clearly failed the populace. They’ve failed us. There is no point in trying to reason it out, to find excuses, to lay blame. The important thing is that we are very close to accepting a culture of the unacceptable.”

delpee:
Thanks for this. Very valuable information at this point in time.