Two farms belonging to the traditional ruler of Oriendu autonomous community in Ohuhu, Umuahia North LGA, HRH, Eze Philip Ajomiwe has been consumed by strange fire.
This is even as the royal father has invited God to visit those responsible for the outbreak.
The two burnt farms which are located at Ubani Ibeku, Umuahia North and Amakama at Umuahia South LGAs, occupied 1.5 hectares and 2.5 hectares of farmlands of cassava respectively.
Conducting journalists round the farms over the weekend, the traditional ruler, Eze Philip Ajomiwe who spoke in tears, said he refused information that his farms were on fire, adding he did not believe his eyes on arrival at the destroyed farms.
Eze Ajomiwe who said he funded his farms with million of loans from banks, cried out that he did not know how to repay the loans.
He feared that his farms may have been set ablaze by arsonists, noting that 419 specie of cassava at Ubani Ibeku farm while yellow root species planted at Amakama farms which would have yielded 90 tons on harvest, were all destroyed by fire.
“How can a sensible human being do this evil? I am very shocked because we lost about 90 tones. If not for anything else, the persons would have remembered our suffering, not only on labour but the cost getting and planting these stems”, Eze Ajomiwe bemoaned.
He continued, “Where will I get millions of naira to repay the loans I borrowed from banks?” he cried.
He pointed out that it is only in his burnt farms that yellow specie of cassava are planted and processed in the whole of Abia State.
“When you process yellow specie cassava into cassavita, it has fourth percent provitamin A. When you use it to produce garri, you don’t need to add oil.”
Eze Ajomiwe who said his cassava farms were destroyed by herdsmen previously, wondered how he would recover from the disaster.
He also lamented that several job opportunities he created for his people have been affected by the fire disaster.
He appealed to the federal ministry of agriculture and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to assist him with financial assistance to return to business.
