Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has broken his silence over the burning of his 2,420 hectares of land farm at Howe in Aliade area of Gwer East Local Government of Benue State, at the weekend.
Obasanjo described the burning of his farm by suspected arsonist as a ‘bad development’.
In a release by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Tuesday, Chief Obasanjo said the local and state governments, including the security agencies in the state have taken up the issue, with a view to fishing out the perpetrators and prosecution.
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The former President thanked those who had called him to identify with him on the incident.
Recall that some suspected arsonists had set Obasanjo’s Farm in Howe, Gwer Local Government Area of Benue State ablaze, last Saturday.
According to Chairman of the Gwer LGA, Emmanuel Otserga, the council received report about the incident at about 2pm on Saturday.
Otserga said that, “We received a report that the Obasanjo mango farm located at Howe was on fire and I quickly informed all the stakeholders, including traditional rulers and we swiftly moved there even the Fire Service also came but by the time we will put out the fire, over half of the farm was already razed.
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“However, from the look of things, the fire was caused by the deliberate act of mischief makers, because the way that farm is safeguarded, there is no way fire can cross over from any quarter into the farm.”
He said stakeholders’ meeting was convened in the area to unravel the mystery surrounding fire in the farm.
Director of Benue State Fire Service, Donald Ikyaaza, said as soon as the news of the fire incident reached him, he deployed his men to the area to put out the fire and prevent it from causing further damage.
