I regret coming back to Nigeria, US returnee blows hot after herdsmen destroyed her farm

Mrs Olajumoke Awosika, chief executive officer of Fresh Fields Organic Farms in Ibaayin village, Ibadan, Oyo state has spoken of her regret coming back to Nigeria.

The 57-year-old United States returnee claimed herdsmen attacks forced her to abandon her N20m farm.

In fact, she claimed that when the killings got out of hand, she had to think of her own safety and that of the workers, Punch Newspaper reports.

Olajumoke Awosika(Photo: Punch Source: UGC)

"We have left the farm. We abandoned the farm in February when the herders killed eight people around us.

It was very close to my farm, it was a walking distance. In fact, last week, my manager told me the herders finally invaded the farm with their cows and fed my plantain to their cows.

The plantains were supposed to have been harvested in February; they were worth about N1.5m. It is supposed to be continuous harvest."

Going further, she called on the federal government to allow citizens to bear arms.

According to her, if she is licenced, she would go back to the farm and dare any herdsmen.

She added: "In America where I lived for over three decades, if I don’t have a criminal record, I can bear arms. I can protect my life, it is in the constitution.

Even in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, I have a right to defend myself. "If a Fulani man is carrying AK-47, as a farmer I should also be able to a carry gun and stand up to defend myself. If I am licensed to carry a gun, I swear to God, I will arm those boys on my farm, we will not run and we will stand our ground and l will see the Fulani man that will say he wants to kill me on my own land!

"If the government cannot defend us, we should have a right to defend ourselves. The way forward is self-defence and it is a shame on this government that human life has no value."