Unknown hoodlums have destroyed a mango farm owned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Benue State.
In a statement issued Tuesday in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Obasanjo’s spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi, confirmed the burning of the 2,420 hectares of farmland.
He said the event happened over the weekend in Howe, Gwer East Local Government of Benue, in the Aliade region.
According to Akinyemi, Obasanjo described the tragedy as a horrible development and thanked individuals who had phoned him to express their concern about it, saying it was heartening that no one had died despite the massive loss of farmland caused by the fire.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue, who has requested a complete inquiry into the incident, has also criticized it.
As a result, Governor Ortom directed the state’s security services to do everything possible to get to the bottom of the problem as soon as possible.
“It is the height of irresponsibility for anyone to think of setting ablaze a farm that is set to, in a very near future, boost the economic development of the area in particular and state in general,” he said.
“Obasanjo, as a former president, is a statesman and needs to be accorded his due respect anywhere in Nigeria and Benue State cannot be an exception.”
The governor of Benue urged the Commissioner of Police to apprehend and prosecute the criminals as soon as possible.
Earlier, the Chairman of Gwer Local Government Area, Mr Emmanuel Otserga.Atserga, informed Governor Ortom that over half of the mango farm, comprising over 139 hectares of land, had been destroyed and that four suspects had been apprehended, with more on the run.
“From the look of things, the fire was caused by the deliberate act of mischief makers,” he said. “The farm is well safeguarded, there is no way fire can cross over from any quarter into the farm”.
