Farm fire: Ikire victims seek govt intervention

Farmers affected by the recent fire which engulfed cocoa and palm tree plantations in Ikire farm settlement have appealed to the Osun State Government for help.

Making the plea, the six affected farmers, Sulaiman Morenikeji, Zakariyahu Atanda, Opejin Ayobami, Taofeek Sumbo, Muraina Fatai and Jide Olayanju, in a statement in Osogbo on Monday, stated that government assistance became imperative to save them from the present economic mess.

The farmers said, “On the 6th of February, 2024, around 11:30 am, we received a call from a co-farmer that a fire broke out on our farms located at Mokore farm settlement, Araromi Owu, Ikire in Osun State.

On getting to the farm, the entire 15 hectares of farmland that are full of cocoa and palm trees were covered with thick black smoke.

“Effort to alert the co-farm owners proved abortive due to lack of telecommunication network around the farm premises.

“We tried to call the fire fighters to put off the fire but we couldn’t achieve it due to lack of telecommunication network.”

They added that employing local methods after hours to quench the inferno by using water, wet leaves and dry sand was an effort in futility.

“Instead, the fire spread quite fast due to the presence of dry leaves, dry wood and planks on the floor of the farmland.”

The farmers therefore solicited the support of the state and the federal government to bail them out from the incident.