Farmers under the platform of the Eastern Farmers’ Association have demanded N9bn from the Federal Government as compensation for the destruction of their crops and farmlands by herdsmen and their animals.

The group decried what it called the Federal Government’s neglect over the losses incurred by farmers as a result of the activities of herdsmen and their cattle over the years.

It said the compensation was to mitigate the losses.

“Since the advent of the Fulani herdsmen in the eastern region, the Federal Government has been paying lip service to the monumental destruction of our crops and farmland,” the group said.

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The group’s Coordinator, Paul Achalla, and Secretary-General, Nneka Orji, signed the petition.

The statement read in part, “The Federal Government is only interested in securing herdsmen and paying compensation for their cattle without a thought to what they did to our farmlands.

“Our state governments pay compensations for cows killed by villagers.

“So far, we have lost over N9bn as a result of the activities of the herdsmen and nobody is talking about it and even when they promise to pay a token, there is no laid down parameter to actually ascertain the level of damage and its cost implications.

“We urge the governors’ forum in eastern Nigeria as well as the Ohaneze Ndigbo to look into our plight and make a strong statement and representation for us so that the Federal Government to pay us compensation of at least N9bn, which translates to N1bn per state that make up the old Eastern Region of Nigeria”.