News

Farmers in Gombe Pay Hunters N20,000 Monthly for Protection Against Hippopotamus Incursions

On Friday, farmers in the Difa community in the Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State voiced their worries about the ongoing hippopotamus attacks that are destroying their crops.

The farmers claimed that the government’s efforts to ensure food security were in danger and that the attacks’ constant nature exposed them to losses.

Ali Umaru, a retired civil servant and farmer from the area, said the yearly effects of hippo attacks on farmlands in their community had grown intolerable and “extremely frustrating.”.

Given that some areas of the community were on a river’s edge and that the Dadin Kowa dam was only two kilometers away, according to Umaru, the animal had found comfort there.

He claimed that the animals, who had arrived in great numbers, enjoyed invading their farmlands to eat and destroy the crops that farmers had sown, especially during the dry season.

They (hippopotamuses) come in the night, usually in groups of 10, to eat our rice, okro, watermelon, and other foods. By 6 am, they leave our farm and return to their hiding places.

The damage is making farmers poorer and making less food available for human consumption, which is why it is so painful.

The problem is reducing efforts to ensure food security because farmers who planted 50 hectares of land may only end up harvesting 20 hectares, losing 30 hectares in some cases, he said on Friday to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Another farmer, Mrs. Lois Joshua, said, “Last year, the hippos ate three hectares out of the 50 I cultivated and they normally come close to harvest and soon we will be harvesting and many of us are very nervous.

Amina Nuhu, a different farmer who was quoted by NAN, claimed that local farmers had resorted to paying N20,000 per month to hire youths to guard their farmland, particularly at night when they chased animals away from their farms using torches.

Ibrahim Yakubu, the Gombe State’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, reacted by stating, “This is the first I’ve heard of hippopotamus attacks on farmlands.

You know a hippopotamus is a wildlife, so they can write to the Ministry of the Environment and we can look into it; if they don’t, we won’t take action on the farmers’ complaint.“.

The Ministry of Environment’s Permanent Secretary, Abubakar Hassan, pleaded with the farmers to exercise patience while the government worked to find solutions.

And because the animals were endangered species, he pleaded with them not to hurt them.

Tags: Gombe state

Recent Posts

Rema, Tems, Seun Kuti to perform at 2025 Coachella Festival

The 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has announced its lineup, featuring over 100 artists at the Empire Polo… Read More

2 hours ago

Music Executive Ubi Franklin & Kizz Daniel Settles long time Differences

Kizz Daniel and Ubi Franklin have reportedly reconciled, ending their six-year feud. In 2018, Kizz Daniel and Ubi Franklin fought… Read More

2 hours ago

Actor Afeez Owo splashes millions on new car

Afeez Owo has recently acquired a new vehicle. The actor posted a video on his Instagram page featuring his new… Read More

2 hours ago

Wumi Toriola Boasts Breaks Toyin Abraham’s Record

Wumi Toriola is celebrating as her film, Queen Lateefah, has made three hundred and fifty million naira in just two… Read More

2 hours ago

Davido’s Second Daughter Hailey Adeleke Sweetly Celebrates Him At 32nd Birthday

Hailey Adeleke spoke up to celebrate her father's 32nd birthday. Many people, including his uncle Ademola Adeleke, the governor of… Read More

3 hours ago

Denzel Washington Shares His 15-Year Struggle With Alcohol

Denzel Washington has revealed his 15-year fight with alcohol. The star explained that his wine drinking began quietly but increased… Read More

3 hours ago

This website uses cookies.