"In the same period, we recorded 20 attacks on cattle and, in one of the instances, over 280 cows were killed."
The Commander of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Abdusalam Abubakar, has said that criminal suspects attacked and destroyed crops on over 50 farmlands in Plateau and Kaduna States between April and May.
Mr Abubakar, who doubles as the General Officer Commanding, 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos, said this at a seminar in Jos on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that OPSH is a special task force, established to maintain the peace and stability in Plateau and parts of Bauchi and Kaduna States.
The commander said that during the period under review, the division recorded over 20 cases of attacks on cattle.
Mr Abubakar said that the seminar, tagged, "Peaceful coexistence: Panecea for a successful farming season," aimed at ensuring food security in the country.
He said: "Between April and May alone, we have recorded over 50 cases of destruction of crops on farmlands in Plateau and Kaduna States.
"In the same period, we recorded 20 attacks on cattle and, in one of the instances, over 280 cows were killed.
"This is why this seminar is not only apt but timely toward achieving a secure and successful farming season.
"The government is worried over the rising food insecurity in the country and so farmers and herders must come together to find a lasting solution to the persistent clashes in communities."
Mr Abubakar, a major general, said that the agricultural sector remains critical to the overall development of the country, hence the need for farming and herding to take place side-by-side.
He called on the people to desist from night travels and the use of underage grazing as well as cow poisoning and deliberate destruction of crops on farmlands.
He said that such unwholesome practices were largely responsible for the rising cases of conflicts in communities.
The commander warned that anyone caught destroying farmlands and cows would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
He also called on residents of the affected states to support security agencies in their bid to end all forms of insecurity in the area.
(NAN)
