By Daniel Essiet,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

Farmers across rural communities in Ogun State are reeling from a surge in cattle rustling incidents that have not only depleted their livestock but also left many with injuries and emotional scars.

Local authorities and community leaders said the attacks have become increasingly frequent in recent months, with armed rustlers targeting herders and farm owners during early morning or late-night raids.

The assailants, often wielding machetes and other dangerous weapons, have stormed farmlands, stealing cattle and violently assaulting those who resist. Several victims have sustained serious wounds, some requiring urgent hospital care.

One of the latest attacks occurred between Tuesday, September 9, and the early hours of September 10 at A & A Harmony Farms, Okunowa, Ijebu.

According to the farm owner, Sina Akinsanya, the invaders disabled all security equipment before carting away valuable livestock and supplies.

“Our lone security guard was overpowered, blindfolded, and restrained. His phone was taken, and all our floodlights and CCTV cameras were destroyed.”

The SIM cards were removed from the cameras. The cost of the damage is close to N2 million. Eight cows valued at N14 million, along with about N1 million worth of medication, were stolen,” Akinsanya said.

He expressed worries that the rustlers threatened to return.

In another incident in Imodi Mosan, Ijebu, a farmer narrowly survived an attack after rustlers struck his property. His security guard, a member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), sustained life-threatening injuries and remains in hospital. The guard was almost killed.

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“We are praying for his recovery. The wave of attacks has left livestock owners terrified and uncertain about the future. Some are now quitting the business altogether. This is my second attack in three months. A total of 25 cows are gone. Two farms near me were also hit in the last two weeks. I am quitting,” said Kola, a farmer from Ijebu. In Odeda and Yewa North, subsistence farmers and herders say the insecurity has triggered widespread panic and economic hardship, threatening their livelihoods.

To this end, many have appealed to the Ogun State Government for urgent intervention, demanding not only better protection . The crisis in Ogun reflects a wider regional threat. Last year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), through its Subregional Office for West Africa, convened a regional workshop in Saint-Louis, Senegal, to address the growing menace of cattle rustling across West Africa and the Sahel. The meeting underscored that rustling has evolved from small-scale theft into organized cross-border crime, marked by deadly violence and linked to broader conflict economies in countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.

FAO’s Animal Health and Production Officer, Dr. Lionel Gbaguidi, estimated annual losses from cattle rustling at $432 million in Nigeria, $32 million in Mali between 2016 and 2022, and $3.2 million annually in Senegal. Experts warn that beyond the economic toll, rustling fuels unregulated slaughter activities that endanger public health by exposing consumers to zoonotic diseases.

“Cattle rustling is inseparable from instability and conflict. Authorities, civil society, and the international community must recognize its role in fueling violence and make it central to peace and security efforts,” said Mali’s National Director of Animal Production and Industries, Mr. Djakalia Ouattara.

Livestock is central to West Africa’s economy, contributing up to 44 percent of agricultural GDP in some Sahelian states. With over 84 million cattle and more than 311 million small ruminants, the subregion accounts for nearly a third of Africa’s livestock population. Yet this critical sector faces growing threats from rustling, leaving farmers like those in Ogun State exposed to financial ruin and despair.

For Ogun’s farmers, the fear is immediate and personal. Unless urgent measures are taken, they warn, the state’s food security and rural economy could face lasting damage.