The growing food insecurity in the country, leading to the sharp rise in the prices of foodstuffs, has been attributed to the combined effects of banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping that have become daily occurrences in the northern and southern parts of the country, investigations by the Nigerian Tribune have revealed.

Investigations by our correspondents, especially in Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Katsina, Borno, and Ekiti revealed that farmers have since abandoned their farmlands, with many residing in IDP camps.

Many who are still said to be residing in their villages now resort to farming in available spaces around their homes to avoid either being killed or having to pay huge taxes to the insurgents.

The development, according to investigations, has badly affected the cultivation of rice, beans, tomatoes, guinea corn, watermelon, onions, and millet among others.

In states like Benue, Nasarawa and Ekiti, the activities of kidnappers and bandits have led to farmers abandoning their yam farms, leading to the escalating prices of yams in the market.

Kaduna State

In Kaduna, our correspondent reports that residents of the Birnin-Gwari area of the state are mostly farmers and that in recent times, farming activities in the area have gone down as a result of banditry. Bandits have taken over the farms from the locals. The production of crops like maize, guinea corn, millet, and rice, which the area is noted for, has become history, according to a resident, Sallau Ibrahim.

He said that many farmers have been killed, while scores have been abducted. Ibrahim said that the attackers usually stormed their communities to carry out the nefarious acts without challenge.

It was also gathered that in places where the bandits allowed farmers access to their farmlands, they imposed taxes or levies on them before they could harvest the crops.

As a result, many farmers who could not meet up with the tax had to abandon their farms. Gradually, food items started becoming scarce and costly, Ibrahim said.

Investigations revealed that in Birnin Gwari last week, a bag of maize was sold at N90,000, while a bag of local rice sold at N105,000, and beans at N85,000. A traditional title holder who did not want his name mentioned said hunger is gradually surfacing in many homes as his people “can no longer afford to buy a mudu of rice to eat.”

He added: “You will not believe it. People now prefer to eat leaves like zogale, rama, and drink water. They don’t have money to buy foodstuff.”

Reports from the southern parts of Kaduna, however, present a bit of a heartwarming situation as findings revealed that the security situation appeared to have improved in the area. It was gathered that many farmers have started returning to their farms.

A resident of the area, who gave his name as Luka Moses, said: “We pray this time around, we will be able to harvest, unlike the previous years.”

Plateau State

Reports from Jos, the Plateau State capital, equally confirmed that the surge in banditry in Plateau State has continued to have adverse effects on agriculture as most farmers have abandoned their farms for fear of being attacked by the rampaging bandits.

Findings by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that agrarian communities in Barakin-Ladi, Riyom, Bassa, Mangu, and Bokkos have been under incessant attacks for quite some time now, leading to the deaths of many farmers and other residents.

Reports also indicated that there were instances where farms about to be harvested were destroyed by bandits who allegedly engaged in night grazing to mischievously deny the farmers the opportunity to harvest their produce.

Checks revealed that most of the displaced farmers are presently hibernating in various IDPs across the state, especially in the northern and southern senatorial zones of the state.

An official of the farmers’ association in the northern part of the state, Danlami Bitrus, told our correspondent that insecurity had forced many farmers to abandon farming.

He said that only a few are doing it at the risk of their lives, adding that there were several occasions where farmers were attacked on their farms or on the way to the farms.

“Plateau State is known for producing Irish potatoes; this is cultivated in large quantity in Bokkos, Barakin-Ladi, but this has gone down due to insecurity. The same goes for maize farming in Mangu; the unfortunate situation has driven the price of the few available produce beyond the rooftops.

“At the moment, a sack of potatoes, which was about N32,000, now goes for N120,000, and a bag of maize is being sold for N100,000.

“Other farm produce, such as tomatoes, onions and yams are also affected. But we are hoping that things will normalize as peace gradually returns to these troubled areas,” he said.

Ekiti State

The drastic reduction in the production of food crops in Ekiti State has been attributed to activities of the criminal herdsmen and gunmen in the state.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed that the production of food crops such as maize, cassava, beans, banana, yam and the rest have been affected by the incessant attacks on the farmers by armed herdsmen.

While some of the farmers have been killed and injured, others had their multi-million farm crops destroyed by herders, who grazed indiscriminately on the farms.

This development, it was gathered, has forced a majority of the farmers in the state to stay away from farming, while those who are still in the practice have reduced their investments for fear of losing their investments.

A farmer from Ikere-Ekiti, Akintunde Adeoye, explained that the incessant attacks on the farmers were responsible for the rising food prices in the market, saying that only few farmers are producing, while there is high demand from consumers.

Adeoye said: “I lost over two million naira on my cassava farm a few years ago due to the activities of the herdsmen and since then I have not been able to fully commit any resources to farming. I don’t want to lose my life or my investments.

“You can observe now that the prices of food items are on the increase; it will continue until we have more people producing these things. Whenever demand is higher than supply, it will automatically lead to an increase in price.

“Nobody wants to die or run into loss on farming; that is why we are not producing more and I hope the government will do more to bring hope and support for the farmers so that we can return to farms.”

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, the chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Ekiti State, Adebola Alagbada, said that the low production of food items, which he said was caused by the incessant attacks on farmers in the state, resulted in the high increase in prices of food items.

Alagbada, however, noted that the present administration in the state has commenced the process of addressing the situation with the setting up of herders farmers’ mediation committee towards having a working relationship between the two stakeholders on the farm.

He said: “Insecurity, especially the activities of herdsmen, has affected farming in Ekiti State and even the South-West states.

“Due to the incessant herdsmen attacks on our members, majority of farmers have abandoned the farm, and run for their lives. It is someone alive who can practise agriculture. But it seems the government of Ekiti State is trying to intervene and address the frightening situation

“Food crops like maize, cassava and yam are majorly affected and that is why we are having hyper-inflation now in the market. The prices of food crops have gone up in the market because we don’t have enough production as a result of insecurity.”

However, the government of Ekiti State, in its determination to arrest the situation and ensure that more people embrace farming, has vowed to clamp down on the activities of herders who destroy farmlands.

The state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, recently declared the determination of his administration to deal with any herder who is found destroying farmlands and crops with their cows across the state.

Governor Oyebanji said he was worried by the increasing complaints and agitations from farmers about the destructive activities of the herders, noting that his administration would no longer fold its arms and allow criminal herders to destroy agricultural investments in the state and thereby create food insecurity.

The governor, who spoke at the weekend in Ikole-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of the state, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government on the conversion of the State Specialist Hospital to a Federal Medical Centre in the community, wondered how farmers would invest millions of naira on their farmlands, only for the crops to be destroyed by herdsmen for their cows, close to harvest time.

He said his administration was determined to resolve the increasing food inflation in the state with support for youths and other farmers through the clearing of lands and provision of seedlings towards massive food production.

He also disclosed that his administration had cleared over 2,000 hectares of land for cluster farming, urging youths in the state to embrace farming for financial independence and to defeat food insecurity.

Oyebanji equally advised traditional rulers in the local government areas not to condone activities of criminal herders in their communities, adding that he would not listen to pleas from them whenever the government commenced the forceful clampdown.

He said: “I want to plead with our traditional rulers because the only thing that can retard the development of this place is insecurity.

“We have an agriculture investor working in Okeako and Iyemero. They have cleared lands and our youths have planted a series of crops on the farmlands but I heard now that the herders are troubling them.

“I am pleading with our traditional rulers to join hands with us to achieve desired results. It will not be appropriate to spend money on clearing lands, and when our youths have planted and are at the point of reaping, for these herders to bring their cows to destroy them.

“The reason I am speaking out publicly today is to send a message to them (herders) through our traditional rulers, that we are going to go after them and when we start, nobody should come and beg on their behalf. Our royal fathers should call those in their communities.

“We are not against their business, but they should not go against our own business too. Anybody that we apprehend, I will not listen to any pleas from anyone.

“I am pleading with our royal fathers to talk to them because we can’t take our youths from the streets to the farm to work and when it is time to harvest, for cows to destroy their investments.

“What we are doing in the state is to ensure that this hunger cry in town now should not happen next year, hence our investment in agriculture. Whatever we grow here, we can buy from these people and store and release them to the market next year. If we don’t produce, food prices we continue to go up.

“It is our responsibility to protect our farmers, and I believe our traditional rulers can do it. I am challenging our fathers because most of these herders are close to some of you; tell them not to destroy our farm crops.”

The governor added that he had instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to prepare a designated place for herders to live and graze their cows.

“We will look out for a place for them to rear and graze their cows, and they should stay in the place we will be providing for them.

“I have given the commissioner for agriculture two weeks to look for a place for them to graze. Anybody who now leaves the place, whatever happens, they should not blame us.”

Niger State

The lingering activities of banditry bedeviling Niger State, particularly the Niger East Senatorial District, comprising nine local governments and parts of the Niger North Senatorial District, have seriously affected food production and food security in the state.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune indicate that many of the residents of the above-mentioned areas have had to flee their homeland or ancestral homes due to violent attacks by bandits, destruction of their houses, rustling of their cattle and goats, and turning them to Internally Displaced Persons on their ancestral land.

Many farmers have now become internally displaced, taking shelter in the various IDP camps in Gwada and Kuta in Shiroro Local Government Area of the State as well as in Sarkin Pawa community in Munya LGA and other IDPs camps in Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area of the State, among others.

Other areas where food production has been affected by banditry activities and insecurity challenges include Wushishi, Kontagora, Mariga, and New Busa in Borgu LGA, in Niger North Senatorial District of the state, otherwise known as Zone C in the state.

Investigations further revealed that on seven occasions, the rural people who are mostly farmers have had to abandon their farmlands when they are unable to harvest their crops as a result of the incessant violent attacks on their communities by gunmen suspected to be insurgents.

Some of such groups are said to invade the areas, demanding levies of unspecified sums of money running into several millions of naira from the farmers if they must be allowed to harvest their farm produce.

This is said to be rampant in the Allawa community and its environs in Shiroro Local Government Area, as well as in the communities near Sarkin Pawa, in Munya LGA of the State.

Furthermore, some of these farmers in the affected banditry-ravaged communities of the state were said to have been forced to abandon their farms unharvested because they could not afford the levies being imposed on them by the bandits.

It was equally gathered that on many occasions, leaders of the insurgent groups were said to have forced some of the rural community dwellers to marry out their young daughters to the insurgents in order to avoid being killed by the hoodlums.

In a brief interview with the Director of Engineering Services, Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, Engr. Danlad Musa said in Minna last week that the immediate cause of bandit attacks on some of the rural communities in the state was because of the very rich sold mineral resources in those areas, adding that this includes gold deposits.

He stated further that in most of the communities being affected by bandits attacks in the state, especially in Shiroro and Munya LGAs axes, there are indications that the areas are rich in solid mineral resources, adding that the insurgent groups may have been trying to displace the people from the communities so that they can have unfettered access to the mineral resources.

The director further stated that some of the food crops in Niger-East Senatorial District include; yam, cassava, maize, sorghum, and mellon, among others, adding that in the Niger North Senatorial District, the farmers usually plant rice, beans, cassava, millet, soybeans, among others.

He said the inability of the governments in collaboration with the security agencies to seriously curb the insurgency and banditry in parts of the state has been responsible for the high cost of food items in the markets and food insecurity in the state.

“Banditry/insurgency has affected farming and harvesting, leading to high cost of food and food insecurity generally. Many of the farmers have had to abandon their farm produce on the farms without harvesting it as a result of the incessant violent attacks and the killings, abductions of their colleagues and relations as well as a result of the destruction of their homes and villages,” he said.

Sokoto State

A Sokoto-based farmer has described the negative impact of the insurgency on farm produce in the state as devastating and worrisome. Mallam Abdullah Rabbah used to be based in Gandi village in Rabbah Local Government Area, until the place was ravaged by bandits.

Describing his experience in an interview with our correspondent, he said: “Almost everyone in the village has abandoned their farms due to this issue of insurgency.

“We can only farm close to our house; we cannot access our real farmlands again and it is worrisome as we hardly can afford our basic needs any longer.”

The development has badly affected the cultivation of crops that are popular in the state, which include rice, onions, millet, watermelon, and tomatoes, among others.

What the security forces are doing – FPRO

However, on Thursday last week, the Force Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who spoke on behalf of the Strategic Communication Inter-agency Policy Committee, coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser, (ONSA), disclosed the efforts being made by the security forces to rein in terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the country.

Adejobi, while addressing the media on behalf of the Strategic Committee comprising the armed forces of Nigeria and other security forces, said that as of June this year, the forces had neutralised 867 terrorists, arrested 1,638 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements as well as rescued 921 kidnapped hostages nationwide.

The Force Public Relations Officer, who spoke in Abuja, said that while the country had experienced a series of security incidents, the security agencies had been consistently grappling with threats from banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and economic and financial crimes.

He said: “Despite these challenges, the security agencies have demonstrated unwavering dedication to maintaining and preserving Nigeria’s territorial integrity and ensuring the safety of its citizens.

“The resolve and fighting spirit of our Armed Forces remain unshaken, leading to numerous successes across various theatres of operation,” he said.

According to him, the troops recovered 894 weapons, and 21,538 ammunition and denied the oil theft of an estimated sum over N5 billion.

He further said: “The breakdown of recoveries of arms and ammunition are as follows: 313 AK47 rifles, 76 locally fabricated guns, 92 Dane guns, 14,243 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 4,209 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 222 assorted arms and 3,369 assorted ammunition.