Protesting Ogun farmers lament herders’ attacks, farm destruction
August 18, 2026 12:44 am
Farmers from 10 communities in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, including Ogunmakin, Ayegunle, Aluoge, Showunmi, Yakoyo, Lemomu and Beere, on Monday protested what they described as the “devastating destruction” of their farms by suspected herders.
The farmers claimed that their losses over the past 10 years, as a result of the activities of herders who regularly bring their cattle to graze on their farms, could not be less than N100m.
They said crops destroyed by the cattle included cassava, maize, sugarcane, potatoes and plantains.
According to the farmers, the activities of the herders had become a significant threat not only to the government’s efforts to boost food production but also to the security of residents in the affected communities.
They said many farmers could no longer carry out their activities due to fear of intimidation, harassment and attacks by the herders.
The farmers disclosed that several meetings with the leadership of the herders had failed to yield any reprieve, warning that unless President Bola Tinubu and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun intervened urgently, the worsening situation could lead to another avoidable farmers-herders clash.
During the protest, the farmers held placards bearing various messages, including “Gov Dapo Abiodun, save us from the herders destroying our farms”; “President Bola Tinubu, rescue us from the herders”; “The herders are destroying our means of livelihood; we are no longer safe in our communities”; “Ogun Assembly, please save us from herders”; and “We beg IGP Tunji Disu, DSS, to come to our aid.”
Speaking with journalists during the protest in Ogunmakin, Mr Muritala Saka said, “The herders are nothing but an absolute thorn in the flesh of the farmers. They will bring their cows and graze on whatever we planted, be it maize, potato, plantains, or cassava.
“We have reported them to the security agencies several times, but this has not brought a stop to their dastardly actions. It is like these herders are intentionally destroying our farms to send us packing from our communities.
“Some of us are now in debt because we can’t pay back what we borrowed to invest in our farming. We call on President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun to please come around and help us before it gets too late. We don’t want a herders’/farmers’ crisis in our communities. The herders should vacate our communities.”
Also speaking at the event, Mr Jimoh Oduntan lamented the destructive activities of the herders, describing them as nothing but “pure evil and an act of wickedness”.
Oduntan said, “These herders are like a bone stuck in our throats, causing us so much anguish and pain. It is the government that is encouraging us to go back to the farm, and we are trying our best, but these herders are making our efforts in vain.
“Our losses are huge each time they bring their cows to graze in our farms, yet we have tried several times to make them see reason to stop their terrible act, but they have continued to inflict on us unbearable pain and destroy our means of livelihood. We beg Governor Abiodun and President Tinubu to please rescue our people and us from these herders.”
Mr Kunmi Adekunle, another farmer, also decried the destructive activities of the herders, lamenting that despite reporting them to the police on several occasions, they had continued to allow their animals to feed on the farmers’ crops.
Adekunle said, “We have been on this for some time. We have reported the herders to the police, but they have refused to heed our plea. Yet these same people also have their farms where they planted sugarcane and potatoes, and you will never see their animals eating what they planted, but they are always quick to bring their animals to feed on what we planted.
“We don’t want to go into confrontation with the herders, and that is why we are having this protest to call for the intervention of the Ogun State and federal governments to call these people to order. We want the herders to leave our farms. They can’t continue to use their own business to destroy our own means of survival too. We are fed up.”
A protester, Sunday Balo, while expressing his displeasure over the disturbance allegedly caused by the herders, also alleged that his wife was nearly raped by some of them, saying the incident was reported to the police.
Balo said, “We are all not happy or angry that the herders are destroying our farms. I borrowed N1m, which I invested in my farm, but I have nothing to show for it because the herders brought in their cows to eat all that we had planted.
“Even last year, they nearly raped my wife. They attacked her with a cutlass, and we reported this to the police in Ogunmakin. Our wives can no longer go to the farm; nobody is safe. We are just begging the government to please arise and help us. The suffering is too much.”
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