Awka, 16 June, 2020 / 8:23 pm (ACI Africa).
A Catholic Bishop in the West African nation of Nigeria has expressed concerns about suspected herdsmen harassing and killing innocent citizens on their farms saying their actions have far reaching implications on the food security in the country.
“We all know the economic implication of not having farm produce, which is that the prices of food items will increase and hunger will become the order of the day,” Bishop Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor of Nigeria’s Awka Diocese has been quoted as saying in reference to attacks targeting farmers.
Bishop Ezeokafor described the herdsmen as “a big threat capable of increasing hunger in the country” as their actions undermine food production in Africa's most populous nation.
“We condemn the killing and harassment of innocent citizens in their farms on some agro communities across the country. Some farmers are now scared of going to their farms to avoid being murdered by killer herders,” Bishop Ezeokafor said Sunday, June 14 while presiding Mass to mark the first anniversary of the 7th Anambra State House of Assembly in Awka, the legislative branch of the Anambra State Government instituted on June 12, 2019.
Nigeria has seen an upsurge in violence resulting in the loss of human lives following attacks by suspected herdsmen.
