The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, has disclosed that its Agro Rangers Unit resolved 397 farm-related disputes involving malicious destruction of farmlands and cattle poisoning between January and October 2026.
The achievement, according to the Command, underscores its commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders, protecting agricultural investments and safeguarding farming communities across the state.
The State Commandant, Commandant Augustine Padonu, disclosed this while highlighting the operational achievements of the Agro Rangers Unit during the ten-month period under review.
According to the operational statistics, the unit handled and resolved 397 cases, comprising 386 incidents of malicious damage to farmlands and 11 cases of cattle poisoning.
A breakdown of the monthly records showed that January recorded 64 cases, February 53, March 45, April 31, May 17, June 26, July 32, August 32, September 50 and October 47 cases.
The interventions, the Command said, demonstrate the strategic role of the Agro Rangers Unit in addressing farmer-herder disputes, preventing the escalation of agricultural conflicts and creating a peaceful environment for sustainable food production in Oyo State.
The unit currently maintains operational bases in six strategic locations across the state: Oriire, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Lanlate, Igboora and Oyo. The locations are intended to strengthen security coverage and facilitate prompt responses to agricultural and livestock-related disputes within their respective areas of responsibility.
In a further move to strengthen agricultural security, Commandant Padonu has unveiled plans to establish six additional operational bases across the state, bringing the proposed total to 12.
The expansion, according to the Command, is aimed at extending the Corps’ operational reach to more farming communities, improving response time to distress calls, strengthening surveillance and patrol activities, and ensuring better access to security interventions for farmers, herders and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.
Beyond resolving disputes, the Agro Rangers Unit has sustained regular mediation, sensitisation and enlightenment programmes involving farmers, herders, agricultural merchants and transporters.
The engagements are designed to promote mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence and respect for the economic activities of different stakeholders.
The unit has also maintained regular patrols across its operational locations to prevent security threats, protect lives and property, and check criminal activities capable of undermining agricultural productivity. It has equally strengthened collaboration with other security agencies to sustain peace across the state.
Commandant Padonu commended personnel of the Agro Rangers Unit for their dedication, professionalism and commitment to duty, stressing that peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders remains vital to food security, economic stability and sustainable development.
He reaffirmed that the NSCDC Oyo State Command would continue to strengthen its agricultural security architecture through proactive intelligence gathering, effective conflict mediation, strategic patrols, community engagement and inter-agency collaboration.
The Commandant also urged farmers, herders, community leaders and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain to embrace dialogue, respect lawful boundaries, avoid actions capable of triggering conflicts and promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest NSCDC formation.
He reassured residents of the Command’s commitment to protecting agricultural investments, securing rural communities and supporting government efforts to achieve food security in Oyo State.
The development was contained in a press release electronically signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SC Samuel Olubanjo Opebiyi, and made available to journalists in Ibadan
