A leader in the Eruku community of Kwara State, Shola Daniel, says the presence of the military in the area has not made much difference.

Eruku has witnessed a series of attacks in recent weeks, including the assault on the Christ Apostolic Church, where about 38 worshippers were kidnapped.

Other attacks have occurred since then, and Daniel, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Tuesday, said most people in the community still live in fear despite the military presence.

“I must be frank with you, the presence of the military in the community right now has not made much difference because, on a daily basis, farmers still have to go to their farms,” Daniel said.

He added: “In a situation like this, the fear of the unknown continues to make things very difficult for the farmers. The military personnel reported to us say they have not been asked to go into the bush, and even if they were, how many farmers could they accompany to their farms? How well-armed could they be to confront bandits who are themselves heavily armed?”

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The community leader expressed concern over the continued attacks following the church incident, including the abduction of farmers and threats to traditional rulers.

“Just three or four days ago, it was reported that some farmers were attacked on their farms. Some managed to escape, but I believe one person is still unaccounted for,” he said.

There have been some government interventions following the recent attacks in the community. According to Daniel, these efforts have made some difference so far.

“We can call it palliative, because by January farmers will start harvesting cashew, which are grown on very large farms in our area,” he explained.

He added that some of these farms are located about three kilometers from the community.

“For any farmer to go alone to the farm is to risk his or her life. These are ongoing problems that are very difficult to address,” Daniel said.