No fewer than 3,000 personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) Special Force known as “Agro-rangers”, will be deployed to protect farms and agricultural investments in the country.

Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, said this on Wednesday in Abuja at a news conference, saying the measure was meant to stem the tide of herdsmen/farmers clashes and protect agricultural investments in the country.

He said the armed NSCDC personnel would be specially trained in the act of protection and mediation in conflicts, especially as it related to ownership of farmlands and arresting cattle rustlers.

He said the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has also been charged, especially with the new Immigration Regulations 2017, to ensure proper registration/monitoring of all foreigners, including foreign herdsmen who come into the country.

The minister said although Nigeria was a signatory to the ECOWAS Trans-human protocol which allowed herdsmen from the region into the country, all the necessary precautions such as registration and possession of valid travel documents would be enforced.

He expressed optimism that all these measures would help in addressing farmers/herdsmen clashes and boost agricultural production as part of government’s plan to diversify the economy.