Benue Farmer Abandons Farm After N500,000 Bandit Demand

A farmer in Kastina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State has reportedly abandoned his farm after suspected bandits demanded N500,000 before allowing him to harvest his crops.

The farmer, from Mbagena Council Ward, was said to have been targeted at home about two weeks ago. His son, John James, a 300-level student of Benue State University, narrated the family’s ordeal during a SERAP workshop in Makurdi.

James said the attackers first gave his father three days to raise the money, then extended the deadline to one week after he explained that he needed to harvest crops before he could pay.

The crops included groundnut, beniseed and soyabean. But the farmer later abandoned the farm because he feared returning to the area after the threat.

Both reports described the account as an allegation from the family and said suspected local bandits had been imposing ransom demands on residents in the area.

Sources: Vanguard, Daily Post