Beneficiaries and officials of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises, Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), Abia, have urged government intervention after armed herders invaded and destroyed cassava farms at the Ohambele project site in Ukwa East LGA.
The damage came to light during a routine monitoring and evaluation visit by LIFE-ND officials and extension service agents, who met visibly distressed farmers and extensive damage to farmlands.
Mr James Nwoko, a LIFE-ND beneficiary cultivating two acres of TME 419 cassava, said the herders not only allowed their cattle to graze on and destroy the crops but also attacked community members who attempted to intervene.
“Cows have come to our farm and invaded everything, destroyed our crops.
“We are calling on the government to come and help us, deliver us, because the herders are fighting us. They have dangerous weapons to fight us,” he said.
According to Nwoko, the community confronted the herders last week and drove them away, but the attackers returned at night to further devastate the cassava crops.
“We dragged them here, pursued them, and upon that they still came in the night and destroyed our cassava crops. We are into cassava production,” he added.
Nwoko disclosed that the matter had been reported to the traditional ruler of Ohambele, who advised that LIFE-ND be notified.
Mrs Nzeka Alma, Zonal Manager, Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Aba Zone, described the destruction as “disheartening” and an “eyesore.”
“What we saw is very disheartening. The cattle around that place destroyed the farms.
“Even the cassava farm that had just started to yield something, they just pounded on it, marched on it, uprooted it. The cassava tubers and the roots were destroyed,” Alma said.
She warned that if the attacks continue, the entire farmland could be wiped out.
“If it continues like this, the whole field will be devastated, cleared off. The farmers have tried so much to build something out of it.
“But if this continues, all their efforts willl be in vain. So please, government should come in and help them. It’s very frustrating,” she said.
Mr Godwin Chukwuekezie, State Agribusiness Promotion Officer for LIFE-ND, said the incident was the first cattle-related attack since the project began its third production cycle in the community in 2026, following earlier cycles in 2020 and 2024.
“We have never experienced this in recent time. This is the first time we are seeing the cattle menace,” Chukwuekezie stated.
He said he had already alerted the traditional ruler, who confirmed that the community had reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer and the state’s homeland security outfit, and plans to petition the governor.
Chukwuekezie added that LIFE-ND would activate its security partnership with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
“With this observation, as soon as we get to the office, we will alert the Commandant and say, ‘Your work is here now. Look at our site, look at locations. Please let your men swing into action,” he said.
Dr Clement Uwem, Rural Institution, Youth and Gender Coordinator for LIFE-ND, said the Ohambele site covers 35 hectares of cassava under development with no fewer than 15 incubatees (young agripreneurs supported by the project.)
“Unfortunately, we met a farm that has been ravaged by cattle. Some of the green crops seem to have been uprooted and fed to the cattle. The evidence is there, the pictures are there,” Uwem said.
He appealed to all levels of government to intervene, warning that continued destruction could undermine the return on investment and discourage rural youth from embracing agriculture.
“There is a large vegetation of grass growing which cattle can freely feed on. But it looks as if the farmland of these youths trying to eke out a living becomes the choice feeding ground for cattle in the community,” he noted.
Dr Uchenna Onyeizu, State Project Coordinator, LIFE-ND, expressed deep concern over the incident, describing the affected site as one of the project’s flagship activities.
“I’m saddened by that news. I least expected it because that 35 hectares of land that we have invested seriously on is one of our legendary activities. It’s so greenish, it’s looking so good before now,” Onyeizu said.
He confirmed that the traditional ruler had assured him that the police and local vigilante groups had been mobilised to prevent further attacks.
Onyeizu added that LIFE-ND would also engage the Hausa community to prevent the issue from escalating.
“The governor has put in place avenues to report such issues and we are going ahead to do that. When I have the opportunity of seeing him, I will also report that to him.
“But I want to believe that the machineries set up by the government and the governor will address that appropriately,” he said.
LIFE-ND is a Federal Government of Nigeria project supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development , aimed at enhancing income, food security, and job creation for rural youth and women in the Niger Delta through agribusiness.
Stakeholders fear that unless urgent action is taken, the herder-farmer conflict could derail years of investment and demoralise young people who have embraced agriculture as a sustainable livelihood.
